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19 January 2001
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19 January 2001
Representatives of African Governments and of the continent’s civil society will meet in Dakar, Senegal, from 22 to 24 January to define a common position in preparation for the upcoming World Conference against Racism, Xenophobia, Racial Discrimination and Related Intolerance.
On the agenda of the three-day meeting are issues such as the situation of victims of racism, including migrants and refugees, ethnic violence in Africa, the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and measures of prevention and remedies including compensation. Some 500 participants are also expected to discuss issues including the economic and social situation of the African continent and the AIDS pandemic.
Government delegates will debate and adopt a draft declaration and programme of action which will be submitted to the next session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference in May in Geneva.
The African Preparatory Meeting will be opened by President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs Cheikh Tidiane Gadio.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, who is the Secretary-General of the World Conference, will also participate. Mrs. Robinson is expected to highlight themes such as the essential role that Africa, given its history, plays in combatting racism, the ravages of ethnic conflict on the continent and the preventive function of human rights education.
The Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will take place in Durban, South Africa from 31 August to 7 September 2001. In the words of Mrs. Robinson, “the World Conference has the potential to be among the most significant gatherings at the start of this century”.
More information on the World Conference against Racism can be found on the Internet at: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/racism/index.htm
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Representatives of African Governments and of the continent’s civil society will meet in Dakar, Senegal, from 22 to 24 January to define a common position in preparation for the upcoming World Conference against Racism, Xenophobia, Racial Discrimination and Related Intolerance.
On the agenda of the three-day meeting are issues such as the situation of victims of racism, including migrants and refugees, ethnic violence in Africa, the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and measures of prevention and remedies including compensation. Some 500 participants are also expected to discuss issues including the economic and social situation of the African continent and the AIDS pandemic.
Government delegates will debate and adopt a draft declaration and programme of action which will be submitted to the next session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference in May in Geneva.
The African Preparatory Meeting will be opened by President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs Cheikh Tidiane Gadio.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, who is the Secretary-General of the World Conference, will also participate. Mrs. Robinson is expected to highlight themes such as the essential role that Africa, given its history, plays in combatting racism, the ravages of ethnic conflict on the continent and the preventive function of human rights education.
The Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will take place in Durban, South Africa from 31 August to 7 September 2001. In the words of Mrs. Robinson, “the World Conference has the potential to be among the most significant gatherings at the start of this century”.
More information on the World Conference against Racism can be found on the Internet at: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/racism/index.htm
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