c. Minorities
In recent years, there has been a heightened interest among members of the international community in issues affecting minorities as ethnic, racial and religious tensions have escalated, threatening the economic, social and politi- cal fabric of States, as well as their territorial integrity. The United Nations approach centres on the need to promote and protect the rights of minorities and encourage harmonious relations among minorities and between minori- ties and the majority population.
In addition to the non-discrimination provisions set out in international human rights instruments, special rights are elaborated for minorities and measures adopted to protect persons belonging to minorities more effectively from discrimination and to promote their identity.
• The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities addresses the spe- cial rights of  minorities in a separate document.
• The Working Group on Minorities was established in 1995 in order to promote the rights set out in the Declaration and, more particularly, to review the promotion and practical realization of the declaration, examine possible solutions to problems involving minorities, and recommend fur- ther measures for the promotion and protection of their rights. The work- ing  group  is  open  to  Governments,  United  Nations  agencies,  non-