On the 9th of July, UNPO Secretary General Mercè Monje Cano, alongside UNPO Advisory Board member Professor Fiona McConnellparticipated in the Summer School on Culture and Minority Rights in Budapest, organized by the Tom Lantos Institute in collaboration with leading academic and policy institutions.
Representing the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), Mercè Monje Cano, alongside Professor Fiona McConnell, delivered a lecture on the fundamental role of self-determination in preserving the cultural rights of minorities. The session emphasized the need for inclusive frameworks that recognize the collective identity and autonomy of minority communities as central to the protection of their cultural heritage.
The Summer School brought together students, academics, and practitioners to explore key themes around culture, identity, and human rights. Ms. Monje Cano engaged with participants on the challenges unrepresented and resilient peoples face in maintaining their cultural practices and languages in the face of state-driven assimilation.
The event also featured interventions by Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, and Nicolas Levrat, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, highlighting the international legal dimensions of minority rights and current threats to cultural diversity.
UNPO thanks the Tom Lantos Institute, and in particular Anna-Mária Bíró and Corinne Lennox, for the invitation and their continued commitment to advancing cultural and minority rights globally.
