From Silence to Significance: A platform for minority voices at the United Nations
18th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues
27 November – 28 November 2025
Item 3 – Amplifying minority voices in peacebuilding, accountability and transitional justice processes.
28 November 2025
By Tanushree Ghosh / GICJ
On 28 November 2025, at the 18th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues, a panel discussion was conducted to deliberate on the indispensable role of minorities in building sustainable peace and ensuring unimpeded access to justice. The panel included Ms. Fatuma Abdillahi Ali, Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Certified Professional Mediator and Former Senior Minority Fellow at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Ms. Farah Mihlar, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights at Oxford Brookes University and Mr. Tenzin Dorjee, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Columbia University.
During the panel discussion, the esteemed speakers acknowledged the contribution of minority communities across the globe. Despite their immense contribution, minorities are often relegated to the margins of peacebuilding and justice processes. The systemic violence against minorities, the repression of their voices and their abject neglect from the mainstream discourse were the key concerns raised during the discussion. The speakers emphasised the need to integrate the lived experiences of victims into the broader narrative of justice. An intersectional approach to peacebuilding and conflict resolution was recommended to address discrimination, including, but not limited, to gender, race, religion and ethnicity. The panellists presented corroborative evidence to demonstrate the role of minorities in building sustainable peace and ensuring unimpeded access to justice. A common consensus that emerged during the deliberations was that peace and justice are inextricably linked, and that the inclusion of minority voices is crucial to both.
Ms. Fatuma Abdillahi Ali, Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Certified Professional Mediator, Former Senior Minority Fellow at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Ms. Fatuma Abdillahi Ali commenced the panel discussion by highlighting the discrepancies that exist in peace processes. She noted that transitional justice processes are often marred by gaps between formal commitments and lived realities. Despite existing guarantees of human rights, minority communities continue to face exclusion.
Ms. Ali reiterated that peace without inclusion is fragile and abstract. Taking a leaf out of Kenya’s book, she presented practical approaches to integrating minority voices in peacebuilding and transitional justice processes. In post-conflict Kenya, Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, an ethnic Somali woman led the initiative of restoring peace and stability. Initially, a few women from the community joined hands to address post-election violence by developing an early warning and early response system. With concerted efforts, this movement grew, and individuals from all walks of life contributed towards ensuring accountability and peace in a region that was once rife with violence. A community-led initiative proved to be a catalyst for the introduction of legal reforms at the national level. The tangible outcomes included effective mechanisms to ensure police accountability, prevent human rights abuses and promote greater community participation in security oversight. The inclusion of minorities in transitional justice processes strengthens institutions, legitimises peace and empowers societies.
Ms. Ali emphasised that minority communities are, in fact, agents of change, and the rule of law is bound to be more resilient when shaped by those communities that have endured human rights violations. In her view, peace and justice are grounded in three dimensions: local experiences, national frameworks and international standards. In conclusion, Ms. Ali recommended that States adopt an intersectional perspective to peacebuilding and urged minority communities to actively engage in and take ownership of peacebuilding processes.
Ms. Farah Mihlar, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights at Oxford Brookes University
With reference to the Holocaust, the opening remarks by Ms. Farah Mihlar served as a poignant reminder that transitional justice processes are premised on the principle of “Never Again”. Though States have formally committed to preventing genocide and crimes against humanity, international crimes of similar gravity have been committed with impunity across the globe. She noted that when the norms designed to protect the most vulnerable communities are undermined, the pursuit of justice becomes elusive.
It is a matter of concern that the rights and issues of minorities have yet to take centre stage in truth-telling commissions, judicial bodies and reparation programmes. Ms. Mihlar stated that minorities are often targeted because of their identity and non-dominant status. She elaborated on this point, noting that Tamils in Sri Lanka were persecuted during the period of heightened violence about sixteen years ago, arguably because of their minority status. She asserted that minorities across the globe remain largely invisible in the peacebuilding and transitional justice processes.
Ms. Mihlar proposed a two-pronged approach to amplify minority voices in peacebuilding processes. First, incorporating a minority lens within transitional justice would establish a nexus between identity or minority status and the commission of crimes. Second, foregrounding the human rights of minorities would reinforce the guarantees of their right to identity, participation and non-discrimination. Going forward, this approach could help create novel mechanisms of justice delivery in diverse contexts. A case in point is an interreligious accountability mechanism that seeks to ensure collective justice by harmoniously interpreting religious and spiritual texts. Ms. Farah Mihlar further recommended that truth commissions and reparation programmes be implemented without discrimination against any community. She reaffirmed that transitional justice processes must address the root causes of historical and structural discrimination. Her fervent appeal to States to adopt a minority rights approach to meet the distinct justice needs of all groups is particularly relevant in these tumultuous times. Ms. Mihlar concluded by calling upon the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues to collaborate with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence to develop guidelines delineating a minority rights approach to transitional justice.
Mr. Tenzin Dorjee, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Columbia University.
Mr. Tenzin Dorjee, while addressing the panel, recounted his first-hand experience as a refugee. He focused on the fact that minorities face an ongoing quest to safeguard and preserve their cultural identity. Mr. Dorjee acknowledged the varied contributions of minorities across domains. Though material contributions certainly do not go unnoticed, he drew attention to the unique and distinct perspective that these communities offer. Since minorities provide an accurate diagnosis of the larger society, it is the responsibility of States to empower them. However, rising exclusionism and internal colonialism have resulted in undesirable outcomes. He stressed that States have been increasingly resorting to repressive measures in an attempt to maintain political stability. Ethnic homogeneity and cultural uniformity are often purported to be the only viable means to achieve this end. Mr. Tenzin Dorjee also mentioned that States with a multicultural landscape – shaped by invasions and conquests - have an obligation to provide cultural autonomy and linguistic accommodation to minorities. A rigid top-down approach that imposes cultural homogeneity on minorities is destined to fail. In the same vein, he acknowledged the right to self-determination of minorities across the globe. Mr. Dorjee, in his closing remarks, underscored the need to protect the linguistic and cultural identity of minorities. Additionally, he urged States to allow national minorities to maintain and exercise their linguistic and cultural practices.
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) acknowledges and recognises the invaluable contribution of minority communities to social, cultural, economic and political life. It urges States to uphold the rights of minorities as guaranteed under international treaty instruments and international customary law. GICJ further appeals to States to take all necessary measures to prevent atrocities and acts of violence against minorities. It calls upon States to meaningfully engage with minority communities, address issues of discrimination, including, but not limited to, race, religion, gender, ethnicity and ensure their full participation in transitional justice and peacebuilding processes.
