Kisebbségpolitikai
On-line Lexikon

There are currently active, private, non-profit civil society organisations, active in at least three countries, which focus exclusively on minority protection, either in general or more narrowly, focusing on only one specific aspect of it, as an integral part of universal human rights or in related normative frameworks and political discourses (Anna-Mária Bíró, Minority Rights Group International). The definition is based on six criteria: 1. organisational structure, 2. independence, 3. non-profit character, 4. mandate/mission, 5. profile of the activity, 6. geographical scope of the activity. International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) are typified by two basic characteristics, the composition of their membership and the issues they represent. The “minority INGO” is composed exclusively of members of minorities. In the case of organisations that are not only composed of minorities we can speak of a “universal INGO for the protection of minorities” which is based on international standards and universal values. In 2011 86 minority organisations in Europe and operating from Europe were registered, nine of them had consultative status in ECOSOC and in the Council of Europe. Organisations dealing with the issues of minorities in Hungary and Hungarians living beyond the borders include: the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN, 1949), Minority Rights Group International (MRG, 1960), European Language Equality Network (ELEN, 2011), Hungarian Human Rights Foundation (HHRF, 1976), Simon Wiesenthal Centre (1977), Youth of European Nationalities (YEN, 1984), European Jewish Congress (EJC, 1986), Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO, 1991), Project on Ethnic Relations (PER), European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC, 1996).