Abstract
In October 2023, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities adopted its tenth set of ecommendations focused on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life. These Recommendations highlight the previously overlooked socioeconomic dimensions of minority participation. Socioeconomic rights for minorities were recognised in both the 1992 UN Declaration on the Rights of National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities (art.2.2) and the 1995 Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (art. 15), but they were mainly assessed and monitored only with regard to specific minorities (e.g., the rights to housing and health of Roma people). However, minority socioeconomic rights include not only fair access to housing and healthcare but also to employment, education, social security and general social services (Henrard, 2010) and property, land, natural resources, food and a heathy environment (Salomon 2007). In addition, Bird (2010) had stressed the importance of an intersectional approach to address the combined issues of gender and minority status, a call that has yet to gain significant traction. In this context, and within the scope of this workshop, this paper first examines the potential of the latest OSCE HCNM Recommendations by applying them to empirical data using an intersectional approach concerning gender and youth among various minorities in Europe, such as Italians in the Balkans, German-speakers in Italy (South Tyrol and Sappada/Plodn), and Catalans in Spain. This approach (Crenshaw 1989, 1991; Collins, 1990) not only underscores the unique challenges faced by these minorities but also highlights the multifaceted nature of minority rights and the importance of considering various intersecting social factors. Furthermore, this examination
reveals how underlying assumptions about minority status and other social factors can ultimately intersect, often resulting in compounded negative impacts on them (Tomaselli, 2024). Hence, by employing an intersectional lens, this paper also seeks to uncover the ways in which age, class, and other social drivers can exacerbate these challenges, ultimately hindering the realization of socioeconomic rights for minorities. Indeed, the abovementioned case studies provide concrete examples of the barriers faced by minority women and youth, as well as potential strategies for overcoming these obstacles and promoting more inclusive and equitable participation in social and economic life.
Overall, this paper aims to shed light on the complexities of minority socioeconomic rights and the necessity of adopting an intersectional approach to address these issues effectively. By doing so, it hopes to contribute to the ongoing discourse on minority rights and inform future policy recommendations that are more attuned to the diverse and interconnected nature of these challenges.
References
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