§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they still adhere to the rights of minorities set out in the document of the Copenhagen meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, approved by participating states, including the United Kingdom, in June 1990. [HL202]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe document of the Copenhagen meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE in 1990 refers to the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, rather than the rights of minorities as groups. This is an important disinction, since human rights in international law apply equally to all individuals and are not the prerogative of particular groups. The Government consider that the rights referred to in the document in question, including those relating to national minorities, remain valid and helpful, and it continues to abide by them.