The MDGs and international human rights law: a view from the perspective of minorities and vulnerable groups

This paper argues that neither the growth of a stronger regime of human rights, nor the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), would automatically guarantee an amelioration of the plight of vulnerable groups. Drawing on examples from Vietnam, Mexico and Ghana, this paper, rather than critique the ‘standards’, endorses each regime/programme with the suggestion of an inclusionary caveat: that both pay special attention to the plight of minorities and indigenous groups, and that the extent to which either process is deemed successful be measured against the extent to which it addresses the plight of vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples and minorities within states.