“A little bit of money makes a real difference”

Romani human rights activist, Valeriu Nicolae, runs and funds from his own resources a project aimed at giving young people in a Bucharest ghetto a future free of drugs and crime through education and sports.

Between tradition and exclusion: struggling for the right to pitch a trailer

Candy Sheridan advocates for the rights of the Irish Travellers who were evicted from Dale Farm in Basildon, United Kingdom, over a year ago.

The politics of exclusion continue in and around Rome

Roma migrants and their defenders describe the living conditions in camps, and forced evictions by the local authorities in Rome, Italy.

Innovative grassroots projects for Roma integration in the Czech Republic

The UN Human Rights Office has welcomed projects for the integration of the Roma population launched by the local authorities in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Regrettably, critical civil society voices were excluded in the process.

Empowering Roma in rural Hungary

UN and civil society are making efforts to empower the Roma in Cserehát region in their struggle against socio-economic exclusion and racial discrimination.

Minority forum marks 20 years of rights advocacy

The fifth annual session of the Forum on Minority draws up recommendations for the effective implementation of the two decades-old UN Minority Rights Declaration.

Minority Fellow Fuad Ahmed Al-Selwi: defending the rights of the Al-Akhdam community in Yemen

Fuad Ahmed Al-Selwi, a participant in the UN Human Rights Office Minorities Fellowship Programme wants to introduce fellow members of his Al-Akhdam community in Yemen to the idea of freedom.

Mohamed El Hor Abeidy from the Haratin community in Mauritania

Mohamed El Hor Abeidy says through his participation in the UN Human Rights office Minorities Fellowship Programme he expects to learn more about the UN human rights system “which will enable us to defend our rights without violating the rights of others

Husam Abdullah Ali: human rights activist from Iraq

“The right to language and education for all should be guaranteed,” says Husam Abdullah Ali, a 28-year-old human rights activist who participated in the UN Human Rights office Minorities Fellowship Programme in Geneva.

Minority Fellow: Enam Abuljalil El Asfour

“I work at the national level to reduce the gap between the different components of the Saudi Arabian population and to flatten the differences between social groups,” says UN Human Rights Minority Fellow Enam Abuljalil El Asfour.

Prakash Mohara from Nepal: campaigning against caste-based discrimination

Prakash Mohara plans to use the knowledge and experience he gained from the UN Human Rights office Minorities Fellowship Programme in his campaign to ensure justice and equal rights for members of the Dalit community in his home country of Nepal.

The Minority Rights Declaration at 20

An expert panel reflects on 20 years of achievements in promoting the rights of national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities

Opening the Door to Equality: Access to Justice for Dalits in Nepal

A major report from the UN Human Rights office in Nepal says despite significant progress in combating caste-based discrimination and untouchability, many obstacles remain for victims seeking access to justice.

“I commit to end caste discrimination and untouchability”

Campaigning for an end to caste-based discrimination – the Human Rights Office in Nepal and the National Dalit Commission of Nepal call for personal pledges and the implementation of a new law to end the deep-seated practice of caste discrimination.

Indian human rights defender fights to end Roma discrimination

Sri Kumar Vishwanathan, an Indian human rights defender, fights to end discrimination against the Roma in the Czech Republic.

Minority Forum opens third session

Minorities’ effective participation in economic life contributes to fair and just societies.

Defending the rights of national minorities in Southern Kyrgyzstan

Defending human rights in the wake of the violence in Kyrgyzstan earlier this year.

Minority Rights

Minority rights are States’ responsibility.

The story of Khalid Hussain

Khalid Hussain appeals to the international community to help the Urdu speaking Bihari minority achieve equal rights in Bangladesh

The story of Elena Gorolová

A Roma woman’s horror at discovering she had been involuntarily sterilized and her courage in the fight for justice.

The story of the Honourable Al Shaymaa J. Kwegyir

The story of albinos in Africa is one of suffering, appalling discrimination and murder – one woman campaigns for change.

Promoting and protecting the right to education for minorities

The United Nations Forum on Minority Issues calls for an effective education strategy for minorities based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination.