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STORY: UN / MINORITY ISSUES PRESSER
TRT: 02:17
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 04 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations Headquarters
04 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Levrat, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues:
“In the SDGs, which play a very important role in current international community, there's no single mention of the word minority. In the Pact for the Future that was adopted this year, same situation. Even though research shows that there are many things being done for minority communities, but never pictured as a minority issue.”
4. Wide shot, dais
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Levrat, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues:
“Understanding and caring about the situation of a minority is not only a human rights issue, but very clearly a peace and security issue. And especially in peacebuilding processes, we know, unfortunately, that many conflicts are kind of recurrent in the same place that the peace is broken again. And if in the peacebuilding architecture, the peacebuilding effort, there is no specific place given to minorities and the possibility for them to fully enjoy their rights without discrimination or with as little discrimination as possible, then you create a dangerous and explosive situation for the future.”
6. Wide shot, press room
7. Med shot, reporter
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Levrat, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues:
“Persons belonging to minority needs to be respected. Need to be included in the community. And very, very often, too often, we see political leaders in campaign scapegoating minorities, and this cannot be accepted.”
9. Med shot, reporter
10. Wide shot, dais
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Levrat, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues:
“I will write to the US government after - and whichever US government is being elected - after tomorrow, not immediately after, but soon after, because I heard many things that are really scapegoating on minorities and that cannot be accepted as regards the commitments, the human rights commitments of the United States of America. So, I will also ask for explanation and hopefully guarantees that this will not happen again.”
12. Wide shot, end of presser
The Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Nicolas Levrat today (28 Oct) said he will write to the United States government after Tuesday’s elections, because of alleged “scapegoating on minorities” during the electoral process.
Levrat noted that in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “there's no single mention of the word minority,” and the “same situation” occurs with regard to the Pact for the Future adopted this year.
He said, “even though research shows that there are many things being done for minority communities, but never pictured as a minority issue.”
The Special Rapporteur said, “understanding and caring about the situation of a minority is not only a human rights issue, but very clearly a peace and security issue. And especially in peacebuilding processes, we know, unfortunately, that many conflicts are kind of recurrent in the same place that the peace is broken again. And if in the peacebuilding architecture, the peacebuilding effort, there is no specific place given to minorities and the possibility for them to fully enjoy their rights without discrimination or with as little discrimination as possible, then you create a dangerous and explosive situation for the future.”
Levrat stressed that “persons belonging to minority needs to be respected, need to be included in the community. And very, very often, too often, we see political leaders in campaign scapegoating minorities, and this cannot be accepted.”
He said the “scapegoating” seen in the United States “cannot be accepted” as it pertains to the US’ human rights commitments, adding that he “will also ask for explanation and hopefully guarantees that this will not happen again.”
Special Rapporteurs are part of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council and work on a voluntary basis. They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
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