AFTERNOON
HR/CN/99/11
26 March 1999







Chairperson to Develop Draft Resolution Reflecting Various Points of View on Venue, Procedural Matters, Other Topics



A sessional Working Group of the Commission on Human Rights concluded this evening a series of meetings to prepare for the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance by discussing additional national, regional and international measures to combat racism and xenophobia and by recommending ways to fund the global summit and United Nations anti-racism efforts in general.

The Chairperson of the Working Group, Ambassador Absa Claude Diallo of Senegal, said a draft resolution would be prepared summarizing the Working Group's three days of discussions and that the draft would take into account all diverging points of view. She said she would request from the Commission time for a brief additional meeting in two or three weeks time to allow review and adoption of the Working Group's report. The Working Group began its discussions Wednesday afternoon and also held sessions Thursday afternoon and evening.

Among anti-discrimination measures suggested this afternoon were potential limits on "negative" use of the Internet and the convening of a seminar to review "best practices" in the field of anti-racism programmes. Other topics considered were efforts to cope with deprivation of nationality, or, conversely, imposition of nationality based on matters of race.

Erica-Irene A. Daes, Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, said there was a need overall to see fruitful results from extensive efforts to combat racism. Despite progress made, racism still existed and continued to strike countless minorities and individuals, she added.

The Czech Republic stated that while it was useful to adopt measures at the international and national levels, the main problems lay in implementation and enforcement of anti-racism measures at the local level. It was pointed out that the diversity and multiplicity of problems in various countries and cultures created an extremely complex overall situation and therefore one mechanism to cover all situations was not possible or desirable. The situation of Roma within the Czech Republic was cited by the speaker as an example of the complexity of this issue.

Many country delegates -- including those for Cuba, China, and India -- and Representatives of non-governmental organizations expressed the view initially put forward by the Representative of Tunisia on behalf of the Africa Group that much of the funding of the World Conference on Racism and Xenophobia and funding for measures towards combatting racism and xenophobia should come from within the general United Nations budget. Others suggested that funding should come from external sources and voluntary contributions as well. The International Association against Torture suggested that multinational corporations should be solicited for contributions.

The Working Group then discussed procedural issues -- the scheduling of preparatory committee sessions in relation to annual meetings of the Commission, and matters of timing of the World Conference and its venue. Geneva was suggested as a venue by several speakers, who said costs could be kept lower that way, since the human-rights Secretariat was located there. Others objected, including a Representative of the International Association against Torture, who remarked that other world conferences held been outside Geneva and furthermore had not been so consistently hamstrung by repeated pleas for economy. Delegates suggested on several occasions that a separate Bureau should be set up for the World Conference, since Commission Bureaus changed personnel from one year to the next and in any case were more than occupied handling Commission affairs.

Among those addressing this afternoon's meeting were Representatives of the Czech Republic; the Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD); Tunisia; the Movement against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples; the International Association against Torture; India; China; Cuba; Germany (on behalf of the European Union); Switzerland; Mexico; Austria; the Holy See; Guatemala; Iran; the World Federation of United Nations Associations; Indian Movement "Tupaj Amaru"; Turkey; the United States; Italy; Argentina; the United Kingdom; Ireland; International Labour Office; Pakistan; and Algeria.

The next plenary of the Commission on Human Rights will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 30 March 1999. The Commission will continue its debate on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination and is expected to start consideration of its agenda item on the right to development.