Discrimination based on race, colour and ethnicity in the Republic of Moldova watched over by the UN Committee

The UN Committee was particularly interested in the Moldovan Government's strategy to ensure the linguistic rights of ethnic minorities, the effectiveness of anti-discrimination mechanisms, the planned measures to train and raise awareness of racial discrimination among the legal professionals.

At the same time, strengthening the institution of community mediators in densely populated Roma communities was a central issue in the review process. The members of the UN Committee have highlighted the importance of the institution's financial coverage, especially in the context of decentralization.

The National Report on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in the Republic of Moldova was prepared and presented by the Interethnic Relations Bureau. In parallel, the civil society organizations from the Transnistrian region, ATU Gagauzia, Taraclia, people of African origin, Roma organizations, Armenians and human rights institutions have submitted to the UN Committee 13 alternative reports to the one submitted by the Government.

"This year, we witnessed a massive mobilization from the civil society, with twice as many alternative reports if compared to the previous years. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has supported organizations to prepare alternative reports and thus make their voices heard before the UN Committee. This is a unique opportunity for discriminated individuals to defend their rights through international mechanisms", Veaceslav Balan, National Coordinator of the UN Office for Human Rights in Moldova, says.

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1965 and has been in force for the Republic of Moldova since 1993. It states that "racial discrimination" means any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, ascendance or national or ethnic origin, and guarantees equal rights for all.

Until now, the Republic of Moldova has reported to the UN Committee three times the achievements of the Convention and, in 2017, it was revised for the fourth time. The report with the final recommendations (concluding remarks) of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination will be approved by the UN Human Rights Council within a period of about one month.