Minorities and indigenous peoples can be found throughout Asia and the Pacific. Indeed, the largest proportion of the world’s minorities live in this region. Many countries exhibit a high level of ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity. The identification of groups as indigenous or minorities can be difficult, in part because many States have rejected the term ‘indigenous peoples’ and, to a lesser extent, ‘minorities’. This presents challenges for groups seeking to claim rights under international standards on indigenous and minority rights.

The distinct regions within Asia and the Pacific, including South Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and the Pacific, constitute differing patterns of minority communities but with similar tendencies when it comes to the situation of minorities and recognition of their rights. Minorities across the region have poor access to basic social services such as education, health and housing. In some cases, the provision of these services is not appropriate to the needs or sensitive to the culture of minority communities. Many minority groups are also poorly represented in aspects of public life, including in legislatures, the judiciary, police and civil service. Discriminatory restrictions on access to citizenship have been a problem for some minority groups, particularly those that are historically migrant groups.

Ethnic, religious and linguistic identity has played a role in many conflicts in the region. Many of these conflicts have roots in long-term inequality experienced by minority groups or the perceived economic dominance of numerical minorities. Inter-communal violence has been widespread. Freedom of religion is restricted for some groups and persecution of religious minorities is a problem in several States.

Despite the fact that many Asian and Pacific States reject the concept of ‘indigenousness’, many minority communities are asserting their identities as indigenous peoples (Sibbel 2005). This includes the hill tribes of Thailand, the scheduled tribes of India, and the peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. It is estimated that some two-thirds of the world’s indigenous population resides in Asia. In some cases, States have identified these groups as ethnic minorities and have made efforts to establish some specially targeted measures for development and/or political representation. The traditional livelihoods of these communities, such as the practice of shifting cultivation, often have been restricted due to false perceptions that such practice is damaging or due to conflicting state interests in the land use. Minority communities frequently face involuntary resettlement measures (Asian Development Bank 1998).

The situation of the Dalits (the so-called ‘untouchables’ of the caste system) has gained greater international attention in recent years. There are an estimated 240 million Dalits in Asia, including in the States of India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Despite some important government affirmative action programmes in States such as India and Nepal, many Dalits remain marginalised.

There are also large minority diaspora communities in the Asia and Pacific region, including Chinese, Indian and Nepali economic migrants. These migrants can face discrimination or even violence, even where they form economically strong communities.

Although in the Pacific many island States have considerable linguistic and cultural uniformity, the Pacific region is very ethnically diverse, with nations made up of numerous minority groups, as well as resettled peoples and internal migrants. At independence, Pacific States faced serious issues about the protection of minorities in post-colonial constitutions and disputes about minority land rights, which were often viewed as conflicting with those of indigenous groups. These issues subsequently became major focal points for political conflict and instability.

The civil society of minorities across the region is mixed. In some countries, there is very little space for civil society organization and minorities consequently have not organized into CSOs. Regionally, the networks of Dalits and indigenous peoples are particularly strong.