ROUNDTABLE MEETING MARKS INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

HR/98/17
20 March 1998


United Nations officials and human-rights experts urged continued action and renewed commitment against bias this afternoon at a roundtable marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Opening the commemorative meeting, Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, read a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which noted that events gave cause both for optimism and for renewed vigilance; on the one hand, the triumph over apartheid in South Africa; on the other episodes of "ethnic cleansing" and genocide, where race, ethnicity, and religion had marked individuals for expulsion or slaughter. The commitment to the elimination of racial discrimination lay at the heart of the founding purpose of the United Nations, the Secretary-General's statement said. The lesson was clear: the victory over apartheid must not be seen as an excuse for complacency but as a new call to action.

Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the very word, racism, conjured ugly images of injustice, violence and death. Racism was rightly condemned as a violation of moral standards and ethics. South Africa abstained in the historic vote in the General Assembly on the Universal Declaration 50 years ago because it was busy implementing the racist regime of apartheid. Apartheid was gone, but the world today faced many new and insidious forms of racism. Last year, this meeting confronted racism against migrants in many European countries and elsewhere. Today, there were daily reports of discrimination against immigrants, migrant workers, refugees, minorities and indigenous populations. These were some of the contemporary faces of racism and needed to be recognized and confronted as such. There was no room for complacency.

Jacob S. Selebi, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Chairman of the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on Human Rights, recalled that the Day had been established to honour an event that occurred in South Africa, in a township of Sharpeville, 38 years ago. The policies of apartheid of the former regime had led to the slaughter of Africans protesting those policies. Since then, the international community had honoured the event by designating 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The simple and noble words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were a ray of hope during the darkest moments in South Africa's history, and they continued to give inspiration to others who still face racism and racial discrimination. Racism was not confined to any one nation nor to any one continent. It was therefore entirely appropriate that the international community should continue to give the issue serious consideration.

Luis Gallegos Chiriboga, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said one might think that everything had been said that could ever be said on the subject; but the truth was discrimination was still with us. Its persistence was a major obstacle to social progress; it was necessary to look at the very essence of what was involved -- they resulted in matters ranging from immigration unfairness to outright wars. Cultures were involved that often dated from differences lost in the mist of time. At root, eliminating racism was a person-to-person struggle. In the end that was how to accomplish the task -- to change cultures and people one at a time, so that true freedom, based on the dignity and worth of all persons, could be achieved. The multi-ethnic, multi-cultural societies that would result would be wonderful.

Christian Strohal, Permanent Representative of Austria to the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on Human Rights, said the motto today should be action. The fight against racial discrimination at the European level had to be seen against the European experiences, such as the horror of the holocaust. Yet today, there was still political and social exclusion, racism on the Internet and in person, and xenophobia. This had led to renewed determination to find new methods of action to counter discrimination. Both the Council of Europe and the European Union had taken measures to cover the multi-dimensional character of racial discrimination. These would not only provide a legislative basis, but would also, among other things, monitor situations and raise awareness through information campaigns.

Chul Ki Ju, Acting Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Office at Geneva, paid tribute to all those who had endeavoured and even sacrificed themselves for the noble objective of eliminating racial discrimination from the earth. Thanks to their efforts and pivotal role played by the United Nations, the last 50 years had witnessed great progress and achievements in the drive of the international community to promote human rights and eradicate other of forms of racial discrimination such as apartheid. Much had been done, but tasks remained unfulfilled: new forms of racial discrimination had surfaced, including xenophobia and related intolerance. The international community had to continue to pursue the objective of realizing the ideals and applying the letter of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration as well as other instruments.

Ion Diaconu, Vice-Chairman of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, said the Committee had existed since 1965. It battled racism in all its many aspects; its main activity was to consider periodic reports from States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, usually with the participation of delegations from the countries concerned. The Committee also could invoke emergency procedures when necessary. Finally, it now had arrangements to consider the situations in States parties which had failed for a long time to file the reports required under the International Convention. Racial discrimination was global and changed rapidly and in some parts of the world was extremely serious; the Committee tried to keep up with developments and to remind States of their responsibilities. Little by little, States tended to make progress. Nonetheless, racism at root was a phenomenon of societies; it was not laws and Governments who would finally end it, but people. Education therefore was vital, and prevention was better than cure.

Patrick Taran, Secretary for Migration of the World Council of Churches and Chairman of the International Migrants Rights Watch Committee, said there was a need to put in place the seventh major standard for the protection of human rights, namely the International Convention on the Protection of the

Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Progress had been realized with the Convention against racial discrimination and other international instruments, but more work was necessary. Migrants were a most vulnerable groups facing hostility and violence; they were doubly targeted and discriminated against. They were discriminated against because they usually looked different from the host population, and they found justice and redress usually denied to them. Women migrants faced yet another layer of discrimination. Today launched the formal start of the campaign for ratification of the migrants’ rights Convention.