Below is a statement issued by UNPO:

September 2010 marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, in which nations committed to a new global partnership to end poverty and set out a series of time-bound goals. Marking this important date, the UN will be hosting a Summit next week on obstacles to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. On the eve of this Summit, UNPO calls on participants to ensure the genuine inclusion of minority and indigenous voices in the formation and implementation of new strategies related to the Millennium Development Goals. UNPO emphasizes that minority and indigenous populations face a unique set of challenges in relation to the Goals, and in order to be successful, MDG projects must recognize and confront these challenges.

As noted by Minority Rights Group International, the link between the protection of minority rights and the realization of the MDGs has not been well-considered by development actors (1). Rather, pressure to attain the goals by 2015 may have led governments to focus on aggregate results instead of taking the time to meet the specific needs of these most vulnerable populations. Independent Expert on Minority Issues Gay McDougall emphasized these issues in a report which calls for an increase in the focus on minority communities in the context of the Millennium Development Goals (2). UNPO joins Ms. McDougall in calling on governments to place high priority on addressing the unique issues of exclusion and discrimination faced by minority populations, as well as the extreme and persistent levels of poverty that result from this situation.

An example of the particular needs of indigenous and minority populations in reaching the MDGs can be seen in relation to the goal of Universal Primary Education. Merely providing these populations with access to primary education is often insufficient, as they face special challenges in making use of educational systems. Such challenges include the lack of educational services in their mother tongue, the prohibitive cost of school fees for what are often the poorest populations, discrimination by teachers and administrators, and curricula that do not reflect the priorities of their communities (3). If they are to be successful, goals related to education must include special provisions in the direction of assistance to minority and indigenous populations.

Government strategies to meet the MDGs have at times directly violated the rights of indigenous and minority populations. In some cases governments have deliberately displaced minority populations from their traditional lands in an effort to “develop” these populations. Minorities and indigenous groups are frequently poorly represented in governance structures, and are thus unable to have a say in the development priorities and strategies of these governments. In order for the MDGs to be successfully realized, minority and indigenous populations must not lag behind; they must be more adequately represented in processes related to the achievement of MDGs specifically, and the governance of development in general.

UNPO supports the inclusion of minority and indigenous voices in both the implementation of projects directed at the MDGs, as well as discussions about the successes and failures of these projects. UNPO specifically encourages the roundtable on addressing the special needs of the most vulnerable populations to consider the issues of minority and indigenous populations, and to encourage governments in ensuring that these populations do not lag behind the rest in their efforts to reach the MDGs by 2015.

The Hague September 17 2010

1 Minority Rights Group International: “The Millennium Development Goals and Minority Rights”

2 Second annual report of the Independent Expert on Minority Issues. Gay McDougall: “Minorities, Poverty and the Millennium Development Goals: Assessing Global Issues” 

3 Minority Rights Group International: “The Millennium Development Goals and Minority Rights”