Minorities under international law Who are minorities under international law? Adopted by consensus in 1992, the United Nations Minorities Declaration in its article 1 refers to minorities as based on national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity, and provides that States should protect their existence.

I. History of minority protection The Eurocentric story most often told about minority protection has its own biases. The narrative ignores customary humanitarian law in Africa, where some tribes“took pride in according respect and human rights to women, children, and old persons.” In Asia, foreigners often historically received protection.

4. Fundamental Elements of the International Protection of Minorities V. The Protection of Minorities in Europe 1. The OSCE and the High Commissioner on National Minorities 2. The Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights 3. The Framework Convention 4. Fundamental Elements of Minority Protection in Europe VI.