HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS CALLS ON BUSINESS LEADERS IN DAVOS TO STEP UP EFFORTS TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY AND PREVENT CONFLICT

25 January 2001

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson will urge business leaders participating in the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos to play a more active role both in building public support for the forthcoming Durban World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (31 August -7 September 2001) and in addressing issues of diversity in the workplace.

"Business has a vital role to play in making the Conference a success”, the High Commissioner said. "Workplace discrimination continues to be a serious concern worldwide. Studies show that racial discrimination in the workplace can have serious effects on minorities and migrant workers and on the future development and careers of their children. Employees who are victimized on the basis of their race, colour, nationality, descent or ethnicity suffer stress, anger and fatigue which eventually can detract from the quality of work. At the same time, high unemployment rates among immigrants are aggravated by prejudice on the part of employers against immigrants. This impedes upward mobility and diminishes the capacity of their children to advance economically in adult life. The World Conference against Racism provides a unique opportunity for careful study and fresh ideas on these vital human rights challenges”.

Mrs. Robinson has welcomed the fact that a number of companies participating in United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Global Compact initiative have already committed themselves to addressing World Conference issues. As the High Commissioner has stated, "Companies are taking valuable steps to promote the Durban Conference and tackle workplace discrimination. For example, Globo, a Brazilian media corporation, has pledged its support in advocacy for the World Conference. And the Swedish car maker, Volvo, has formed a diversity council to look at its own policies and practices. These are important steps which I will urge other business leaders to follow”.


In Davos, the High Commissioner will participate in a panel discussion on the issue of economic options in zones of conflict with President Andrés Pastrana of Colombia, President Benjamin William Mkapa of Tanzania, Cabinet Member for Foreign Affairs of East Timor José Ramos-Horta, and United Nations Development Programme Administrator Mark Malloch Brown. As Mrs. Robinson has pointed out: "Human rights violations are at the heart of many conflicts around the world. Corporations are key actors, not only in promoting socio-economic development post-conflict, but also in preventing and resolving conflict by avoiding their involvement in violations, taking firm stands for human rights and speaking out against violators. Human rights are not merely shared values - they are legal obligations”.



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