Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (United Nations)

The declaration was adopted by UN General Assembly in 1992. The primary objective of the declaration was to promote and encourage respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without discriminating on the basis of race, sex, language or religion; especially, abolition of discrimination on the basis of ethnic, religious and linguistic differences. Following are Articles of the Declaration:

• Article 1: States shall protect the existence and the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and shall encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity via framing proper legislation and schemes.
• Article 2: Persons belonging to different religion has the right to practice one’s religion. They must not be restricted from participating in decision making activities. He must be allowed to interact freely with other religious minorities.
• Article 3: Persons belonging to minorities may exercise their rights without any discrimination.
• Article 4: States shall take measures to create favourable conditions to enable persons belonging to minorities to express their characteristics and to develop their culture, language, religion, traditions and customs, except where specific practices are in violation of national law and contrary to international standards.
• Article 5: National policies and programmes shall be planned and implemented with due regard for the legitimate interests of persons belonging to minorities.
• Article 6: States should cooperate on questions relating to persons belonging to minorities, inter alia, exchanging information and experiences, in order to promote mutual understanding and confidence.
• Article 7: States should cooperate in order to promote respect for the rights set forth in the present Declaration.
• Article 8: Nothing in the present Declaration may be construed as permitting any activity contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations, including sovereign equality, territorial integrity and political independence of States.
• Article 9: The specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system shall contribute to the full realization of the rights and principles set forth in the present Declaration, within their respective fields of competence.

Since it is just a declaration rather than convention, it is not legally binding on the signatory countries. But nonetheless it carries greater moral value.