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CERD
57th session
4 August 2000
Afternoon






The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this afternoon exchanged views on the report of its contact group for the upcoming World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

Introducing the report of the contact group for the World Conference, Mario Jorge Yutzis, the Committee expert who served as convenor of the contact group, said that Committee members should participate in the preparatory meetings and in the World Conference to the fullest extent possible.

Referring to the proposal to hold the Committee's fifty-eighth session in New York and its fifty-ninth session in South Africa, Mr. Yutzis, while expressing pessimism on the realization of the proposal, said that some specific steps had been carried out by the contact group. The South African Government needed to understand the financial implications of the Committee meeting in South Africa. The Foreign Minister of that country, with whom the contact group had met, was concerned that an additional responsibility of that nature might inadvertently use up resources. While the Minister understood the logic of the desire, the South African Cabinet had to be addressed before any endorsement by the Minister.

The report presented by Mr. Yutzis indicated that following discussions with members of the Secretariat in New York, caution was expressed that the Committee would have difficulty in persuading the United Nations to mobilize funds for all the Committee members to attend the World Conference. While the holding of the Committee's meeting in New York was likely, there was some caution expressed that it might be viewed as politically insensitive to insist on holding a regular session in the same year in South Africa in August 2001.

In addition, the report alluded that there was concern expressed about possible political sensitivity about States parties being required to present their reports in South Africa. Consequently, it was unlikely that the UN would make resources available for the entire Committee to attend the World Conference. Moreover, space constraints at the Conference might preclude attendance of the entire Committee.

The report recalled that the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference had held its first session in Geneva from 1 to 5 May 2000 and it had been attended by four of the Committee's members; they had also attended meetings with non-governmental organizations.

Also, a discussion paper presented by the contact group proposed that the Committee should develop a list of priority points to be made with respect to each of the themes on the agenda of the World Conference. During the Conference in South Africa, the Committee should convene a panel on regional testimony from victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The panel would provide a space for victims to voice their stories in order to make visible forms of racism which were currently being denied.

HAMID GAHAM, Chief of the Support Services Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, responded to some of the queries put by members of the Committee concerning the World Conference. He said the Conference would be a policy-making event which only States parties would be called to approve.

In the beginning of its afternoon meeting, the Committee met privately with a representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Monday, 7 August, it will continue its discussion on the World Conference against Racism.



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