NGLS - ROUNDUP 99 JANUARY 2003
57th Session of the General Assembly
The Assembly adopted a resolution, with a vote of 173-3-2, on the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (57/195). The resolution called upon all States to bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes motivated by racism and xenophobia, and called upon those that have not yet done so to consider including racist and xenophobic motivation as an aggravating factor for the purposes of sentencing in their legislation. States were also called upon to review and revise, where necessary, their immigration laws and policies and practices so that they were free from racial discrimination.
The resolution emphasized that poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, and economic disparities are closely associated with racism, racial discrimination and related intolerance, and contribute to the persistence of racist attitudes and practices, which in turn generate more poverty. The text condemns the misuse of print, audio-visual and electronic media or new communication technologies to incite violence motivated by racial hatred and condemns political platforms based on xenophobia or doctrines of racial superiority.
During debate on the resolution, several delegations expressed serious concerns about references to the outcome of the Durban World Conference against Racism and its outcome, the Durban Declaration. While they reaffirmed support for the fight against racism and related intolerance, some felt the negotiations at Durban in September 2001 had been “inexcusably marred” by negative references to the Middle East, in particular to Israel.
Other delegations believed the Durban Declaration constituted a solid foundation for the fight against racism, and provided a new and balanced blueprint for action. They said that the controversies emerging from the Non-Governmental Forum and the demonstrations outside the Conference must not be used to detract from the international community's focus on the fight against racism.
In his address to the Third Committee, Doudou Diene, Special Rapporteur on Measures to Combat Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, said that in addition to his mandate of contributing to the implementation and promotion of all international instruments adopted against racism and xenophobia, he also intended to add another dimension, that of developing an intellectual strategy to get at the deep-rooted causes and motives behind racism and prejudice. “I want to dig deeper,” he said, observing that everyone knew that the international instruments, while thorough, were not enough to change values and attitudes that bred racism and discrimination.
He noted that stereotypes and cultural assumptions had unfortunately become entrenched throughout many societies and said that they needed to be discussed openly and combated with vigour. Such a comprehensive approach was necessary, he said, particularly in light of the Durban conference, which he said had examined racism in a holistic way, addressing its historical dimensions—such as slavery—as well as the mental and psychological dimensions of racism.
Source: United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS)
NGLS - ROUNDUP 99 JANUARY 2003
