Promoting inclusive parliaments: The representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliament Frequently Asked Questions on the representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliament

1. What is the definition of ‘minorities’ and ‘indigenous peoples’? The term ‘minority’ as used in the United Nations human rights system refers to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities as laid out in the United Nations Declaration on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities (General Assembly resolution 47/135 of 18 December 1992) and in Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This Declaration also applies to indigenous peoples, in addition to the United Nations Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples (General Assembly resolution A/61/L.67 of 13 September 2007) which articulates its provisions around specific characteristics that indigenous peoples share around the world: • a special relationship to lands and the environment; • distinct political and social institutions, including customary legal systems and laws, cultural traditions and customs, health practices; • own understanding/perspective of development priorities, and traditional management of resources and other knowledge. Neither of the Declarations defines who minorities or indigenous peoples are, as no single definition could encapsulate the realities of all the diverse groups and communities concerned. Instead the United Nations takes into account the principle of self-identification when working with indigenous peoples and minorities. It is now commonly accepted that recognition of minority status should be based on: • objective criteria (such as non-dominance in terms of numbers and/or political power and possessing distinct ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic characteristics) as well as on • subjective criteria of self-definition (i.e. a will on the part of the members of the group in question to preserve these distinct characteristics). The same principle will be used for the purposes of this project.