International Cooperation for Group Accommodation through Minority Protection: A Review of Standard Setting and Institution Building at Regional and Global Levels

Examines the evolution of international cooperation in promoting accommodation of differences within states in terms of changes in international law at the European level. At issue is international cooperation to facilitate minority protection, i.e., peaceful group accommodation in societies comprising distinct ethnic, religious, or linguistic groups. Attention is given to the assertion of minority protection in Article 1 of the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The history of minority protection is briefly traced from 17th-century efforts through the post-WWI minority system before exploring the post-WWII UN human rights system, 1947-1989. Attention is also given to the matter of indigenous rights & critical developments in international cooperation regarding minority issues in the postcommunist period, including the establishment of international institutions devoted to minority protection. Key issues in minority protection are outlined, noting regional differences. D. Edelman