Basic Documents on Autonomy and Minority Rights

The scope of arrangements which provide for some degree of "autonomy" is almost unlimited, as are the norms and means which have been adopted to protect minority rights. "Documents on Autonomy and Minority Rights" offers examples of some of the unique structures which have been developed to respond to geographic, political, ethnic, linguistic, or other differences under a single sovereignty. The first section includes documents adopted on a global or regional basis to set standards for the protection of minority rights and the rights of indigenous peoples. The second section includes a wide range of national documents related to minority rights and/or autonomy. The last section contains historical documents. The author has written a brief introduction to each documents to give the reader unfamiliar with the situation to which a document pertains enough information to consider its context. The ingenuity expressed in some of the documents should encourge experimentation and underscore the need for going beyond the mere recitation of principles associated with federalism, consociation, devolution or other constitutional arrangements. The great variety of institutional arrangements, the detailed provisions occasionally developed to resolve particularly difficult local problems, and the flexibility in addressing issues such as revenue-sharing or participation in international organizations, demonstrate that neither "sovereignty" nor "self-determination" need stand in the way of innovative political solutions.