ACTING UN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES SPEAKING OUT AGAINST BIAS

24 September 2003


Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan today called on central and eastern European leaders to speak out openly against xenophobia and racism.
Addressing a group of central and eastern European experts gathered in Prague for an exchange of ideas on how to implement the Programme of Action of the World Conference against Racism, Mr. Ramcharan said the region is at a turning point in its history.
“In the turbulent waters of ever increasing xenophobia”, he said, “there can be only one choice: to walk the path of tolerance and inter-ethnic understanding anchored in the spirit of human rights”.
The acting High Commissioner said the democratization process in many countries has opened great perspectives for citizen participation and modernization and has put human rights on the map. As the process unfolded, however, “we must guard against tensions between different national and ethnic groups previously suppressed. We must also guard against extreme nationalism, accompanied by intolerance and hate speech. Ethnic strife has led to bloody conflicts in the Balkans and other places”, he continued.
Mr. Ramcharan acknowledged that the challenges and economic obstacles some central and eastern European countries are facing may make it difficult to implement a comprehensive human rights agenda overnight.
“We are all conscious of this”, he said, “but let us not be deterred. Human rights are not only a set of legal standards”.
Adding that tackling taboos and going against mainstream populist views takes courage, he said one way of advancing the cause of human rights is to speak out openly against xenophobia and racism.
The Seminar of Experts for Eastern Europe is being held from 24 to 26 September. It is organized by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and hosted by the Government of the Czech Republic. The results of the seminar will be presented in a report to the next session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights next spring.