UNSR on Minority Issues launches new network with a call for student-led research

The network emerges from the UNSR’s mandate from the Human Rights Council to promote the implementation of the 1992 UN General Assembly Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. Reflecting on the global effort to address human rights violations, UNSR Levrat observed that “What we are missing are original and innovative ideas to tackle specific minority issues and to enrich – through exchange of best practices and ideas – the scope of mechanisms and practices that can improve the fate of persons belonging to a minority.” He pinpointed a gap in participation in this exchange of practices and ideas: “One category of input that is badly missing to achieve such ends are contributions from younger generations.” The network intends to establish a repository of best practices proposed by students and to highlight overlooked minority issues. To this end, the first initiative of the Academic Network for Minority Issues is a global search for innovative solutions developed by students over the academic year 2024-2025.

The first edition of the Student Minority Projects Challenge is currently underway, with a call for students at any university level to submit solo or group projects that identify minority issues, preferably in their own environment or community, and develop innovative ideas, analytical tools, and new perspectives that can contribute to solving the challenges. Minority issues can be broadly defined: as the fate of persons belonging to a minority; the inclusion of persons belonging to a minority in society as a whole; or the contribution of persons belonging to a minority to society as a whole.

The Student Minority Projects Challenge is casting its net widely to capture innovation around minority issues from various university fields and activities. Projects that offer solutions can be presented from any discipline, thereby encouraging a broad multi-disciplinary engagement with minority issues.

Further, the submission of projects is open to a variety of formats. In addition to term papers and reports, the Student Minority Projects Challenge welcomes original projects in formats such as podcasts, games, websites or posters as well as artistic or theatrical submissions. Even documentation of moot court proceedings, interactive or exchange projects, exhibitions, or teach-ins would be admissible. Findings from a service-learning activity would also be appreciated.

The emphasis of the Student Minority Projects Challenge is on elevating student engagement and innovation. Projects must be student-directed and can reflect solo or collaborative work completed as part of a course or extra-curricular activity or on behalf of an NGO. Project teams should represent diversity and the team must include an academic mentor from the university community. Applicants can be of any nationality or stateless. Moreover, projects may be submitted in any language.

The application for the Student Minority Projects Challenge consists of an online entry form, a one-page executive summary of the project (in English), and the uploading of the project in a shareable or digital format. The deadline for submission for this year’s edition is 15 September 2025.

The student projects will then be evaluated by an International Jury made up of minority issues experts and presided over by the UNSR. Each participating student who contributed to a project validated by the jury will receive a certificate of participation. Projects will be evaluated based on four criteria: Quality and Relevance; Originality and Creativity; Impact and Applicability; Diversity and Collaboration. One winning project will be declared and additional projects will receive honorable mentions.

The team of the winning project will be invited all expenses paid to Geneva to present their project in a side event of the 2025 UN Forum on Minority Issues, which will be held November 27-28 at the Palais des Nations. In front of an audience of NGOs, government representatives and experts on minority rights, the winning student team will have the opportunity to promote their innovative solution as realized thrugh their project and contribute to the international debates on how to best respond to minority issues.

Projects recognized with honorable mentions by the International Jury will be posted on the website. In this way, the Academic Network for Minority Issues will build up a public repository for student-led innovations on minority issues. Future editions of the Student Minority Projects Challenge will work closely with university professors and staff to incorporate minority issues into syllabi and extra-curricular activities to amplify the initiative.

With its global reach as a platform for student-led research, the Academic Network for Minority Issues will empower the current generation of youth as influential changemakers and active participants in building pluralistic and diverse societies around the world.

More information on the Student Minority Projects Challenge can be found on the website for the Academic Network for Minority Issues.