坚持各民族一律平等。在中国，各民族不论人口多少、发展程度高低，都具有同等地位，依法享有相同的权利，履行相同的义务。民族区域自治制度的建立，实现了保护少数民族合法权益和保障公民个人平等权利相统一。新疆各族人民享有平等的法律地位，享有宪法和法律赋予的选举与被选举的权利，同时还享有参与国家事务管理、宗教信仰自由、接受教育、使用本民族语言文字、继承本民族传统文化等各项权利。自治区着力消除历史遗留下来的民族隔阂，坚决反对任何形式的民族压迫和歧视，禁止破坏民族团结和制造民族分裂的行为。各级自治地方既尊重和保护本地区各民族的权利，同时还担负着维护国家统一、民族团结、社会稳定的责任。

　　自主管理本民族、本地区的内部事务。新疆维吾尔自治区是多民族共居的自治地方，也是全国唯一三级自治地方(区、州、县)俱全的自治区。自治区内设有5个自治州、6个自治县和42个民族乡。自治地方的各族人民共同选举出人民代表大会(以下简称“人大”)代表，组成自治机关，行使管理本地区内部事务的权利。自治机关在历届人大代表组成以及干部配备上，坚持各民族平等参与、共同管理的原则。2014年，自治区第十二届人大代表名额共550名，有14个民族成份，其中少数民族代表占66%，比少数民族人口在新疆总人口中的比例高出3个百分点。目前，在9位现任自治区人大常委会主任、副主任中，有少数民族6名。自治区主席、自治州州长、自治县县长均由实行区域自治民族的公民担任，绝大多数地区的专员以及市长、县长、区长也由少数民族干部担任。新疆各民族还享有平等参与管理国家事务的权利。2014年，出席第十二届全国人大的新疆代表共60名，其中少数民族代表38名，占63.33%。还有一批少数民族干部在中央和国家机关中担任领导职务。

The principle of equality among all ethnic groups has been upheld. All ethnic groups in China, regardless of the sizes of their population and levels of development, are equal. They enjoy equal rights and are required to fulfill the same obligations in accordance with the law. The establishment of the system of ethnic regional autonomy served to protect the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic minorities and safeguard the equal rights and interests of individual citizens. People of all ethnic origins in Xinjiang are ensured an equal legal status. They enjoy the rights to vote and stand for election as prescribed by the Constitution and the law, the right of equal participation in the administration of state affairs, the right of religious belief, the right to receive education, the right to use their own spoken and written languages, the right to inherit and carry on the traditional culture of their own ethnic groups, etc.

The region has focused on eliminating ethnic misunderstandings carried over from the past; it has firmly opposed any form of ethnic oppression or discrimination, and outlawed any action that might sabotage ethnic unity or incite ethnic separatism. In addition to respecting and protecting the rights and interests of all ethnic peoples within their jurisdiction, governments of ethnic autonomous areas at various levels shoulder at the same time the responsibility of safeguarding national unification, ethnic unity and social stability.

Internal affairs of the ethnic autonomous areas are administered independently. Home to more than a dozen major ethnic groups, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the only autonomous region in China with three levels of autonomous administrative divisions (region, prefecture and county). It boasts five autonomous prefectures, six autonomous counties and 42 ethnic townships. The people of each ethnic autonomous area elect their own deputies to the people's congress and form the self-government organs of power to exercise the right to manage their own internal affairs. In the composition of deputies to the people's congresses and the appointment of officials, the region's self-government organs at each level have always adhered to the principles of equal participation and common management. In 2014, the 550 deputies to the 12th People's Congress of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region came from 14 ethnic groups, with 66 percent being ethnic minorities themselves, three percentage points higher than the proportion of the total population of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Of nine chairperson and vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the current regional people's congress, six are citizens of ethnic minority origins. In Xinjiang now, the heads of the autonomous region, all the autonomous prefectures and all autonomous counties are citizens from the ethnic group(s) exercising regional autonomy in the areas concerned. Moreover, an overwhelming number of the heads of other prefectures, cities and counties are citizens of ethnic minority origins. Ethnic groups in Xinjiang also enjoy the right of equal participation in the administration of state affairs. Of 60 deputies from Xinjiang who attended the 12th National People's Congress in 2014, 38, or over 63 percent, were ethnic minorities. There are many people of ethnic minority origins from Xinjiang holding leading posts in central and state organs.