The article reviews the problem of the formation and validation of the peoples’ rights. In the modern context collective rights of ethnic communities are of key importance. The collective rights, together with the human rights make it possible for ethnic communities to preserve themselves as unique ethno-cultural communities and for the state — to regulate the ethno-social relations more effectively. Validation of the collective rights of ethnic communities is one of the most difficult modern law problems. Traditionally it favors individual rights and grants the rights to indigenous peoples and minorities, but not to all peoples. And this approach is still predominant in spite of the gradual advancement of the collective rights. Having investigated different views on the problem, the author offers a sight at the problem of the rights of people in the context of ethno-national interests.