Statement by Borut Pahor, President of the Republic of Slovenia at the high-level meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Members of National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

On the sidelines of the General debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, attended a high-level meeting to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Members of National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres. President Pahor gave a speech at the meeting.


Photo: UPRS

Statement by Borut Pahor, President of the Republic of Slovenia at the high-level meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Members of National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities:

Excellencies,

It is my great pleasure and honour to be here today with you to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.

The Declaration was adopted based on shared understanding of the importance of protection of rights of national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities for world peace and stability.

Thirty years on the world is again at a critical juncture.

We are reminded – in various contexts and under circumstances of unprecedented volatility - of why those rights should be safeguarded and the minorities should indeed play an integral role in the national and local political, social, economic and cultural life.

Slovenia remains committed to the promotion and full implementation of the Declaration, as well as of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Our dedication to this subject is demonstrated also through our engagement within the Core Group on minorities in the UN Human Rights Council.

Since its independence, Slovenia has built a strong constitutional and normative framework for the protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia, everyone, irrespective of their nationality, has the right to freely express their national affiliation, foster and give expression to their culture, and use their language and script.

Additional special collective rights, including the right to be represented in representative bodies are guaranteed to the Italian and Hungarian national communities and in part to the Roma community.

Incitement to ethnic, racial, religious or other discrimination, as well as the inflaming of ethnic, racial, religious or other hatred or intolerance is punishable by law.

Slovenia is part of one of the most diverse regions of Europe.

Our neighbourhood has never been “a garden of one flower”.

This is why we take special pride in the productive dialogue and cooperation between Slovenia and its immediate neighbours on issues concerning the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities.

I would like to use this opportunity to once again express my sincere admiration and gratitude to the Presidents of Italy and Austria for their commitment to the efforts of overcoming the legacies of a much darker era.

Allow me to conclude by calling upon each state and individual to never forget that the multiple and complex subsystems of our world, be it natural or societal all depend on diversity for their survival.

Nurturing the ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic diversity of our societies is therefore one of our main responsibilities.

Thank you.