GLOBAL MINORITY RIGHTS
SUMMER SCHOOL 2026
Self-Determination and Minority Rights
July 5-10, 2026
Ludovika University of Public Service (Budapest)
| SUNDAY, JULY 5 | |
| Flexible | Dinner Buttler Terasz |
| MONDAY, JULY 6 | |
| 9:00-9:15 | Welcome and Introductions Room: TBC Anna-Mária Bíró, Tom Lantos Institute Corinne Lennox, Human Rights Consortium, School of Advanced Study, University of London Balázs Vizi, Ludovika University of Public Service |
| 9:15-9:30 | Participant Introductions Room: TBC |
| I. Minorities and the Right to Self-determination This introductory segment will explore the right to self-determination as one of the core concepts of international law and international human rights law, provide a background to three contexts of the right to self-determination (colonial, internal, and external), and also examine the often paradoxical relationship between self-determination and minority rights. | |
| 9:30-10:40 | Unpacking the Right to Self-Determination: Three contexts of the right to self-determination and the legal paradox Room: TBC Mohammad Shahabuddin, Birmingham University School of Law |
| 10:40-11:00 | Break |
| 11:00-12:00 | Minority Rights and Self-Determination Anna-Mária Bíró, Tom Lantos Institute Corinne Lennox, School of Advanced Study, University of London |
| 12:00-13:30 | Lunch Cafeteria, Educational Center Building |
| II. The Colonial Context This segment will explore the right to self-determination in the colonial context and the continued relationship between self-determination and minority rights in post-colonial states. | |
| 13:30-14:40 | Self-Determination, the History of Decolonization and Minorities Room: TBC Umut Özsu, Carleton University |
| 14:40-15:00 | Break |
| 15:00-15:30 | Deferred, Denied: Self-Determination and the Assyrians Room: TBC Samantha Deddeh, University of Vienna |
| 15:30-16:00 | Conflict and Displacement in Post-Independence India: Internal Self-Determination through the Case of Kashmiri Pandits Room: TBC Ramanshi Dwivedi, IC Centre for Governance & Geneva Centre for Security Policy |
| 16:00-16:30 | Internal Self-Determination through the Experience of Indigenous Women in Ecuador Room: TBC Angela Sarmiento Banegas, Fundación para la Participación de la Mujer |
| TUESDAY, JULY 7 | |
| III. United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues In this segment, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues will present his mandate and engage in open dialogue with participants. | |
| 9:00-10:30 | Mandate of UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues Room: TBC Nicolas Levrat, UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues |
| 10:30-11:00 | Break |
| 11:00-11:30 | Internal Self-Determination: A Path to Inclusion and Stability Room: TBC Fancy Hilda Nazarite Kitimbo, Active Youth Africa |
| 11:30-12:00 | The Uluru Statement from the Heart: An Australian Example of Indigenous Self-Determination Room: TBC Alessia Montini, University of Queensland & University of Trento |
| 12:00-13:30 | Lunch Cafeteria, Educational Center Building |
| IV. The External Context This segment will explore minorities’ claims to external self-determination, such as secession and independence aspirations, which is often a contentious aspect of self-determination, viewed by states with suspicion. | |
| 13:30-14:40 | Can Minorities Break Free Legally? Secession and Remedial Self-determination Room: TBC Arbaz Muzaffer, University of Birmingham |
| 14:40-15:00 | Break |
| 15:00-15:30 | The Case of Ambazonia: Self-Determination in Southern Cameroons Room: TBC Fru Ndemeno-Tegomoh, Middlesex University, London |
| 15:30-16:00 | Ethnic Minorities in Moldova: The Case of Transnistria Room: TBC Daniil Chivaciuc, JEF Moldova & State University of Moldova |
| WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 | |
| V. The Internal Context This segment will examine aspects of self-determination related to minorities and the internal context, such as participatory decision-making, democratic governance, power-sharing, and autonomy arrangements | |
| 9:00-10:10 | Minority Groups and the Language of Internal Self-Determination: The Case of Sri Lanka Room: TBC Kalana Senaratne, University of Peradeniya |
| 10:10-10:30 | Break |
| 10:30-11:30 | Internal Self-Determination and Minority Rights: Territorial and Non-territorial Autonomy Room: TBC Balázs Vizi, Ludovika University of Public Service |
| 11:30-11:45 | Break |
| 11:45-12:15 | Partnership as Governance: A Case Study of Modern Treaty Nations in Canada Room: TBC Jillian LeBlanc |
| 12:15-12:45 | From Symptoms to Structures: Rethinking Resistance to Reform in Lebanese Nationality Law Room: TBC Celine Arslane, School of Advanced Study, University of London |
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch Cafeteria, Educational Center Building |
| VI. Economic and Cultural Dimensions This segment will specifically focus on economic and cultural dimensions of self-determination from minority rights perspectives. Although various dimensions of self-determination are interlinked, specific focus on these two dimensions highlight how they interact with other aspects of self-determination. | |
| 14:00-15:10 | Economic Self-Determination and Minorities Room: TBC Litha Musyimi-Ogana, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities and Minorities in Africa |
| 15:10-15:30 | Break |
| 15:30-16:00 | How Caste Stigma Prevents Scheduled Caste Women Artisans in Sindh from Capturing the Value of their Labour Room: TBC Heman Das, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) & South Asia Research Institute for Minorities (SARIM) |
| 16:00-16:30 | Beyond Resource Conflicts: Ontological Difference and Indigenous Rights in Russia’s Arctic Room: TBC Aidana Rakhatbekova, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame |
| THURSDAY, JULY 9 | |
| VI. Economic and Cultural Dimensions (cont’d.) This segment will specifically focus on economic and cultural dimensions of self-determination from minority rights perspectives. Although various dimensions of self-determination are interlinked, specific focus on these two dimensions highlight how they interact with other aspects of self-determination. | |
| 9:00-10:10 | Cultural Self-determination and Minorities Room: TBC Tamas Kiss, Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities Tibor Toro, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania |
| 10:10-10:30 | Break |
| 10:30-11:00 | Challenges of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace in Exercising the Right to Education in their Native Language Room: TBC Nurullah Duman, Social Sciences University of Ankara |
| 11:00-11:30 | Druze in Syria: Citizenship and Cultural Rights under Islamic Governance Room: TBC Fawaz Al-Shaarani, BOND—Building Opportunities for Networked Dialogue (Syria) |
| 11:30-12:00 | Benefit-Sharing and the Right to Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples: An Examination of Whether Contemporary Carbon Market Legislation Integrates Minority Rights Standards and Meaningful Community Participation in Kenya Room: TBC Rosemary Okumbe, Northern Rangelands Trust |
| 12:00-13:30 | Lunch Cafeteria, Educational Center Building |
| VII. Mobilization Strategies This segment of the curriculum incorporates a discussion on mobilization strategies for self-determination and its implications for minority rights to understand how the limits and potentials of the law can enrich advocacy itself by, for instance, identifying gaps in minority rights and suggesting possible ways to reform and improve the existing normative framework. | |
| 13:30-14:30 | UNPO Presentation Room: TBC Fiona McConnell, University of Oxford Mercè Monje Cano, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization |
| 14:30-15:00 | Break |
| 15:00-16:30 | Panel Discussion on Minorities’ Mobilization Strategies for Self-Determination Room: TBC Diliara Akhmetova, Comité Académico Técnico de Asesoramiento a Problemas Ambientales Jatani Bonaya Godana, Daayyaa Generation Network Dara Keeve, Committee on the Administration of Justice Fiona McConnell, University of Oxford Mercè Monje Cano, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization |
| FRIDAY, JULY 10 | |
| VIII. New Directions The final segment of the curriculum will showcase cutting-edge research in self-determination challenging conventional wisdom, including self-determination as a peace strategy and self-determination in the digital space beyond territorial links. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit a local Roma minority community organization | |
| 9:00-10:10 | Self-Determination as a Peace Strategy Room: TBC Sally Holt, Conciliation Resources Tahrir Aziz, Conciliation Resources |
| 10:10-10:30 | Break |
| 10:30-11:40 | Reimagining Minority Identity, Belonging, and Self-Determination beyond Territorial Links Room: TBC Naomi Wells, School of Advanced Study, University of London |
| 11:40-12:10 | Building Bridges through Algorithmic Integrity: How to Align AI with Global Minority Rights Room: TBC Noel Armando Espinosa Santamaria, The Green Institute, 5Rights Foundation, & Cornell Center on Global Democracy |
| 12:10-12:30 | Certificate Ceremony |
| 12:30-14:00 | Lunch Cafeteria, Educational Center Building |
| 14:00-16:00 | Visit to Local Roma Community Organization: Rácz Gyöngyi Közösségi Központ Tél utca 52 Introduction to Center and Exhibition, Gábor Molnár, Rácz Gyöngyi Közösségi Központ Roma Cultural Autonomy in Hungary, Edina Tordai, Tom Lantos Institute |
| 17:30 | Gala Dinner VakVarjú Restaurant Paulay Ede utca 7 |