New declarations adopted on minorities, enforced disappearances.

Two new UN declarations--on "enforced disappearances" and on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities--were adopted on 18 December by the General Assembly. They were among the more than 40 texts on human rights, racial discrimination and self-determination emanating from the work of the Third Committee (Social, Cultural and Humanitarian).

In addition, the world body formally proclaimed 1993 to be the International Year of the World's Indigenous People with the theme of "Indigenous people--a new partnership". It also welcomed the initiative of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in proclaiming 1995 as the UN Year for Tolerance, and approved the provisional agenda for the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights, to be held in Vienna from 14 to 25 June.

Grave concern was expressed over the human rights situations in many parts of the world where, according to Assembly President Stoyan Ganev of Bulgaria, abuses continue unabated" despite the end of the cold war.

Describing a scene of "massive and systematic violations of human rights and grave violations of humanitarian law" in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, in particular Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Assembly condemned (47/147) the "abhorrent practice of |ethnic cleansing"' and the "indiscriminate shelling of cities and civilian areas, the systematic terrorization and murder of non-combatants, the destruction of vital services, the besieging of cities and the use of military force against civilian populations and relief operations".

The Assembly also cited the "substantial worsening" of the human rights situation in Haiti since the September 1991 coup, problems regarding the Russian-speaking population in Estonia and Latvia, increasingly difficult living conditions for refugees in Afghanistan, and the serious situation in Myanmar, where Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is now in her fourth year of detention without trial. It called for all parties in the Sudan to permit delivery of humanitarian assistance and for the parties in El Salvador to fulfil their commitments under the Peace Agreements. Concern was also expressed regarding human rights violations in Iraq, Iran and Cuba.

The new declarations had been elaborated by the Commission on Human Rights and recommended for Assembly adoption through the Economic and Social Council.

The Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, annexed to resolution 47/135, proclaims that promoting and protecting the rights of such minorities "contribute to the political and social stability of States in which they live".

Containing nine articles, the text further declares:

* The existence and the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities are to be protected within their respective territories by laws and other measures;

* Persons belonging to minorities have the right to enjoy their own culture, practise their own religion and use their own language;

* Minorities may exercise their rights individually, as well as in community with other members of their group, without any discrimination;

* States should provide adequate opportunities for persons belonging to minorities to learn their mother tongue and to participate fully in the economic progress and development in their country: and

* National policies and programmes should be planned and implemented with due regard for the legitimate interests of minorities.

The Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, described in resolution 47/133 as a "body of principles for all States", addresses the Assembly's deep concern that in many countries, often in a persistent manner, enforced disappearances occur in the sense that persons are arrested, detained or abducted against their will by Government officials or by organized groups or private individuals acting on behalf or with the support of the Government, followed by a refusal to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the persons concerned or a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of their liberty, thereby placing such persons outside the protection of the law.

The comprehensive and explicit 21-article text also declares:

* No State shall practise, permit or tolerate enforced disappearances.

* Each State shall pass laws and other measures to prevent such disappearances; and all such acts--including the abduction of children of parents subjected to enforced disappearance--shall be criminal offences punishable by serious penalties.

* No authority or circumstances--whether threat of war, state of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency--may justify enforced disappearances.

* Any person deprived of liberty should be held in an official place of detention and must be released with their physical integrity and ability to exercise their rights assured.

* Anyone with knowledge or legitimate interest who alleges that a person has been subjected to enforced disappearance has the right to complain to a competent and independent State authority, and to have that complaint promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigated.

* The victims of acts of enforced disappearance and their family have the right to adequate compensation. in a related text (47/132), Governments were called upon to take steps during states of emergency to ensure that human rights were protected, particularly regarding the prevention of enforced disappearances.

The Economic and Social Council is to consider at its next session the proposal of proclaiming 1995 as the UN Year for Tolerance (47/124). UNESCO is to prepare a declaration on tolerance, as well as make suggestions for the Year's observance.

In another text (47/129), States were urged to guarantee freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, ensure respect for religious places and shrines and combat hatred, intolerance and acts of violence. They were also to refrain (47/130) from any activities, including financing political parties, to undermine the electoral processes in any country.

The Secretary-General was asked (47/138) to reinforce the Centre for Human Rights so that it could respond, in coordination with the Electoral Assistance Unit of the Secretariat, to the increasing number of requests from Member States for advisory services.

Racism, self-determination

Following discussions on racial discrimination and self-determination, the Assembly called on (47/77) Governments to take all necessary measures to combat new forms of racism. States were called on to join the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (47/78). States parties to the Convention were asked to fulfil their financial and reporting obligations to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (47/79).

The importance of the universal ratification of the 1973 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid was underlined (47/81).

The Assembly demanded (47/82) the unconditional release of those detained as a result of their struggle for self-determination and declared (47/83) its "firm opposition" to acts of foreign military intervention, aggression and occupation.

The continued recruitment, financing, training, assembly, transit and use of mercenaries for destabilizing or overthrowing Governments of African and other developing States were condemned (47/84), and any State persisting in such activities was denounced.

The Assembly also sought (47/123) concrete proposals on the effective implementation of the Declaration on the Right to Development. It reaffirmed the necessity of promoting the rights to education, work, health and proper nourishment at the national and international levels (47/137) and the need for urgent action against extreme poverty and exclusion from society, which "constitute a violation of human dignity" (47/134).

In another text, the Assembly demanded (47/136) that the practice of summary or arbitrary executions be brought to an end and urged Governments to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur on that issue.

Street children

The Assembly was gravely concerned (47/126) at the growing number of incidents worldwide of street children being involved in serious crime, drug abuse, violence and prostitution.

States were urged (47/112) to join the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as other international human rights instruments such as: the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (47/108); the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (47/110); and the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (47/113).

States parties to such conventions were to fulfil their reporting and financial obligations under relevant international instruments on human rights (47/111), while Governments, organizations and individuals were asked to contribute to the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (47/109).

The Assembly underlined (47/131) the continuing need for impartial and objective information on the political, economic and social situations and events of all countries, and urged further development of public information activities in the field of human rights (47/128).