"Concept of Minority and Minority Rights in International Law: An Assessment"

Abstract

In international law, the term ―minority‖ remained a contested concept for a prolong period. Various authors and scholars have also defined the term in different ways depending on specific situations. The concept of minority and minority rights also remained neglected in the earlier phase of the United Nations. For many years, the UNs only focused of individual human rights, neglecting the minority protection system of its predecessor, the League of Nations. Lack of precise and accepted definition in international law led the UNs revert to its idea of only promoting individual human rights and took an interest in long ignored idea of group and minority rights. This paper attempts to define the concept of minority and minority rights in international law. It also focuses on origin of international protection of minority rights. The paper discusses the steps taken by the United Nations and other regional organizations in defining the concept in order to set universal standards for the protection and promotion of rights of minorities.