The role of human rights in diversity management and conflict prevention

Diversity along ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic lines exists as a matter of fact within all our societies as a result of migration of people across political boundaries or the changing of those boundaries themselves. Such cultural diversity2 is not a new phenomenon. This chapter argues that States should take active steps to effectively manage the diversity within their jurisdiction and sets out a ‘human rights-informed’ approach for doing so. It examines the different roles that international human rights law (IHRL) can play in managing diversity, while also acknowledging its limitations. It aims to show how the approach complements and builds on rights-based approaches by acknowledging the relevance and potential of other normative frameworks and principles in addition to those of human rights in processes of diversity management.