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19 February 2001
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Tehran, 19 February 2001
Address of the
United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights,
Mary Robinson
Excellencies
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to visit Tehran again. I last visited this city in February 1998 for the Sixth Workshop on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Asian and Pacific region. I am very pleased to see so many countries of the region represented at this important meeting and I welcome all Delegations.
I should like to warmly thank the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting and organizing this event. The UN General Assembly has proclaimed this year as the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations - a most welcome development initiated and supported by the Government of Iran. The countries and cultures of Asia and the Pacific have much to contribute towards fostering universal human values of tolerance and respect for diversity. Iran has always occupied a historic position at the crossroads between East and West and it is therefore fitting that Iran is hosting this meeting.
I see the task of this meeting as being to make a substantive contribution to identifying what needs to be done to fight racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in its many forms and manifestations. I hope that, together, we may come to practical, action-oriented solutions, not only to address racism in Asia and the Pacific, but around the globe.
This is the last of the regional preparatory meetings leading up to the World Conference in South Africa, and as you know, the Conference looms on a near horizon - only a few short months away. Regional meetings have been held in Strasbourg last October, in Santiago de Chile last December, and in Dakar last month. These have been productive events where many issues of specific concern to each region were raised and solutions sought. This meeting will no doubt draw on the discussions at these three regional meetings and also the insights of the various expert seminars that have taken place.
At each of the regional meetings I have sought to identify issues of particular relevance. My aim has been twofold: firstly, I wished to bring home to participants what I see as the areas where there is room for improvement in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Secondly, I have been conscious of the need to build up a full picture of the range of issues that are included so that our understanding will be as complete as possible by the time of the Durban Conference. I have not hesitated to speak out at the regional meetings on issues which I feel need to be addressed.
One aspect which I would like to stress today is the need to acknowledge the pervasive nature of racism and xenophobia and the implications which that holds for all of us.
No region, no country, no community can fairly claim to be free from racism. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance are found everywhere, both in familiar, deep-rooted forms and, regrettably, in newer, modern forms. I emphasise the persistence and widespread nature of racism because the first step towards addressing the problem is to recognise the scale of it. The opposite of recognition is denial. As everyone knows, when a problem is denied or the scale of a problem is underestimated, it cannot be tackled properly. So my first message today is: let us be wary of the danger of denial. Let every country acknowledge that it has its particular shortcomings that need to be addressed. Don't imagine that racism and xenophobia are for somebody else, for another country or region. Racism affects all of us and every country and region faces the challenge of combatting it.
My second message is that the spirit of tolerance, of respect and of valuing diversity is more needed than ever. We must take particular care to ensure that this spirit is reflected both in the language used in any declaration or programme of action and in the shaping of specific proposals. The Durban Conference must meet the challenge of giving true leadership to move us forward.
Ratifying ICERD, the Other Core Human Rights Treaties and Ensuring National Implementation
Most of the Member States of the Asia - Pacific region have ratified the International Convention against Racial Discrimination. That is an encouraging sign. I urge all Governments of the region which have not so far ratified the Convention to do so as quickly as possible and, in the case of those countries that have ratified it, to remove reservations they may have entered to the Convention.
In addition, I urge Governments that have not already recognized the competence of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination under Article 14 of the Convention to do so as soon as possible. And, in this regard, I encourage Governments to make full use of my Office's programme of technical assistance and advisory services.
The core values of the international community in regard to racism are expressed in a number of instruments: the International Convention against Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Conventions and Recommendations of the International Labour Organization on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and on Child Labour: all of these texts are relevant. To turn these values into comprehensive, realizable legal rights and obligations, States must ensure that they have ratified these conventions and fully implemented them into their domestic law and practice.
I am aware that the Constitutions of many countries of the Asia and Pacific region contain guarantees against racial and other forms of discrimination. The challenge for the immediate future is for countries to ensure that these general guarantees are incorporated into specific and enforceable legislative instruments and administrative practice. The process of ensuring systematic and comprehensive incorporation of non-discrimination guarantees can be effectively carried out through the elaboration of National Plans of Action, the implementation of which is a priority of my Office's Technical Assistance Programme.
I would encourage all Governments to strengthen human rights training of the police, officials of the judiciary and other key public services with which minority members of society come most frequently into contact. Moreover, sustained efforts can best be brought about with the full involvement of civil society at all levels so that social and political respect for diversity is maintained in this process. In a number of other regional preparatory meetings and expert seminars, the idea of developing a manual for best practices and models for combatting racism, including model legislation, education and training materials and media campaigns, has been put forward and there is much to recommend this proposal.
Migration and the Problem of Trafficking in Human Beings
At the expert seminar held in Bangkok last September, there was a strikingly high level of consensus that migration and the movement of people both within and across national borders are directly related to racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. In all too many cases, people take advantage of and discriminate against those fleeing from persecution or poverty. The shocking scale of the problem of trafficking in human beings and the forced prostitution of women and children cries out for improved regional and global cooperation to stem the tide of these horrible practices.
It is clear that special attention must be paid to the more vulnerable elements of the population, particularly those suffering from double and even multiple discrimination. Women who belong to minorities, children, the elderly, disabled - all often find themselves exposed to discriminatory attitudes and practices both on account of their racial and ethnic background and also their gender, age or disability.
The Special Situation of Women Migrants
Women in particular frequently suffer from acts of violence committed in the home, in the community and when they come into contact with State institutions. The Special Rapporteur on Migrants of the Commission on Human Rights has noted that migrant women transiting through countries in which they do not enjoy nationality, or where they may not speak the official language, often find themselves subjected to abuse in the course of questioning from State officials or while held in detention or other facilities for migrants.
Similarly, the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women has drawn attention to the fact that women performing domestic services are often highly vulnerable. Isolated from their own community and family, they can be exposed to violence or other forms of abuse and usually have little or no means of remedy or redress at their disposal.
The challenge for Governments is to update their laws to ensure that they contain penal sanctions for anyone who engages in the trafficking of human beings or who violates the human rights of migrants. More than this, Governments must activate their enforcement and administrative structures on a broad front to reduce the vulnerability of migrants, for example, through the provision of medical and counseling services in case of abuse, and the raising of awareness among the general public to sensitize people to the special problems of migrants.
I would encourage civil society to join in the fight against racial discrimination suffered by the most vulnerable sectors of the population because Governments cannot do the job alone. NGOs and other civil society groups can help identify emerging patterns in the forms and manifestations of racial discrimination and xenophobia and can advocate constructive change in policies and implementation to help Governments adopt and fine tune their approach to problems of racism.
Prevention and Education
Ultimately, the root causes of racism have to be tackled at the ground level. This means that Governments must renew their efforts to establish sustainable strategies to prevent racism at the local community level through comprehensive incorporation of the anti- racism message in schools and community centers.
We should remember that we are all one human family, regardless of race, colour, descent, ethnic or social origin. The cultures and communities of the Asia - Pacific region, with their long traditions of philosophy, thought and interaction, are especially well placed to spread the message that diversity is one of the world's strongest assets. If this twenty-first century is to be the era of peace we all hope for, we will have to respect each other's differences and recognize that we share in common the basic traits of what it is to be human. Governments must recommit themselves to the principle that all persons, regardless of their racial or ethnic origin, have the right to be treated equally and fairly. This principle can only be realized through a revitalized and comprehensive review of law and practice with the help of civil society. Time and time again, it has been made clear that the unequal treatment of minority groups or migrants can only hamper a country from making full use of the talent and energy of its people, and undermine national development and consciousness. Let us build upon the ethic of a dialogue among civilizations and see in diversity, not a threat, but rather an enrichment of society.
I wish you well in your deliberations.
Address of the
United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights,
Mary Robinson
Excellencies
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to visit Tehran again. I last visited this city in February 1998 for the Sixth Workshop on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Asian and Pacific region. I am very pleased to see so many countries of the region represented at this important meeting and I welcome all Delegations.
I should like to warmly thank the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting and organizing this event. The UN General Assembly has proclaimed this year as the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations - a most welcome development initiated and supported by the Government of Iran. The countries and cultures of Asia and the Pacific have much to contribute towards fostering universal human values of tolerance and respect for diversity. Iran has always occupied a historic position at the crossroads between East and West and it is therefore fitting that Iran is hosting this meeting.
I see the task of this meeting as being to make a substantive contribution to identifying what needs to be done to fight racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in its many forms and manifestations. I hope that, together, we may come to practical, action-oriented solutions, not only to address racism in Asia and the Pacific, but around the globe.
This is the last of the regional preparatory meetings leading up to the World Conference in South Africa, and as you know, the Conference looms on a near horizon - only a few short months away. Regional meetings have been held in Strasbourg last October, in Santiago de Chile last December, and in Dakar last month. These have been productive events where many issues of specific concern to each region were raised and solutions sought. This meeting will no doubt draw on the discussions at these three regional meetings and also the insights of the various expert seminars that have taken place.
At each of the regional meetings I have sought to identify issues of particular relevance. My aim has been twofold: firstly, I wished to bring home to participants what I see as the areas where there is room for improvement in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Secondly, I have been conscious of the need to build up a full picture of the range of issues that are included so that our understanding will be as complete as possible by the time of the Durban Conference. I have not hesitated to speak out at the regional meetings on issues which I feel need to be addressed.
One aspect which I would like to stress today is the need to acknowledge the pervasive nature of racism and xenophobia and the implications which that holds for all of us.
No region, no country, no community can fairly claim to be free from racism. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance are found everywhere, both in familiar, deep-rooted forms and, regrettably, in newer, modern forms. I emphasise the persistence and widespread nature of racism because the first step towards addressing the problem is to recognise the scale of it. The opposite of recognition is denial. As everyone knows, when a problem is denied or the scale of a problem is underestimated, it cannot be tackled properly. So my first message today is: let us be wary of the danger of denial. Let every country acknowledge that it has its particular shortcomings that need to be addressed. Don't imagine that racism and xenophobia are for somebody else, for another country or region. Racism affects all of us and every country and region faces the challenge of combatting it.
My second message is that the spirit of tolerance, of respect and of valuing diversity is more needed than ever. We must take particular care to ensure that this spirit is reflected both in the language used in any declaration or programme of action and in the shaping of specific proposals. The Durban Conference must meet the challenge of giving true leadership to move us forward.
Ratifying ICERD, the Other Core Human Rights Treaties and Ensuring National Implementation
Most of the Member States of the Asia - Pacific region have ratified the International Convention against Racial Discrimination. That is an encouraging sign. I urge all Governments of the region which have not so far ratified the Convention to do so as quickly as possible and, in the case of those countries that have ratified it, to remove reservations they may have entered to the Convention.
In addition, I urge Governments that have not already recognized the competence of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination under Article 14 of the Convention to do so as soon as possible. And, in this regard, I encourage Governments to make full use of my Office's programme of technical assistance and advisory services.
The core values of the international community in regard to racism are expressed in a number of instruments: the International Convention against Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Conventions and Recommendations of the International Labour Organization on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and on Child Labour: all of these texts are relevant. To turn these values into comprehensive, realizable legal rights and obligations, States must ensure that they have ratified these conventions and fully implemented them into their domestic law and practice.
I am aware that the Constitutions of many countries of the Asia and Pacific region contain guarantees against racial and other forms of discrimination. The challenge for the immediate future is for countries to ensure that these general guarantees are incorporated into specific and enforceable legislative instruments and administrative practice. The process of ensuring systematic and comprehensive incorporation of non-discrimination guarantees can be effectively carried out through the elaboration of National Plans of Action, the implementation of which is a priority of my Office's Technical Assistance Programme.
I would encourage all Governments to strengthen human rights training of the police, officials of the judiciary and other key public services with which minority members of society come most frequently into contact. Moreover, sustained efforts can best be brought about with the full involvement of civil society at all levels so that social and political respect for diversity is maintained in this process. In a number of other regional preparatory meetings and expert seminars, the idea of developing a manual for best practices and models for combatting racism, including model legislation, education and training materials and media campaigns, has been put forward and there is much to recommend this proposal.
Migration and the Problem of Trafficking in Human Beings
At the expert seminar held in Bangkok last September, there was a strikingly high level of consensus that migration and the movement of people both within and across national borders are directly related to racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. In all too many cases, people take advantage of and discriminate against those fleeing from persecution or poverty. The shocking scale of the problem of trafficking in human beings and the forced prostitution of women and children cries out for improved regional and global cooperation to stem the tide of these horrible practices.
It is clear that special attention must be paid to the more vulnerable elements of the population, particularly those suffering from double and even multiple discrimination. Women who belong to minorities, children, the elderly, disabled - all often find themselves exposed to discriminatory attitudes and practices both on account of their racial and ethnic background and also their gender, age or disability.
The Special Situation of Women Migrants
Women in particular frequently suffer from acts of violence committed in the home, in the community and when they come into contact with State institutions. The Special Rapporteur on Migrants of the Commission on Human Rights has noted that migrant women transiting through countries in which they do not enjoy nationality, or where they may not speak the official language, often find themselves subjected to abuse in the course of questioning from State officials or while held in detention or other facilities for migrants.
Similarly, the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women has drawn attention to the fact that women performing domestic services are often highly vulnerable. Isolated from their own community and family, they can be exposed to violence or other forms of abuse and usually have little or no means of remedy or redress at their disposal.
The challenge for Governments is to update their laws to ensure that they contain penal sanctions for anyone who engages in the trafficking of human beings or who violates the human rights of migrants. More than this, Governments must activate their enforcement and administrative structures on a broad front to reduce the vulnerability of migrants, for example, through the provision of medical and counseling services in case of abuse, and the raising of awareness among the general public to sensitize people to the special problems of migrants.
I would encourage civil society to join in the fight against racial discrimination suffered by the most vulnerable sectors of the population because Governments cannot do the job alone. NGOs and other civil society groups can help identify emerging patterns in the forms and manifestations of racial discrimination and xenophobia and can advocate constructive change in policies and implementation to help Governments adopt and fine tune their approach to problems of racism.
Prevention and Education
Ultimately, the root causes of racism have to be tackled at the ground level. This means that Governments must renew their efforts to establish sustainable strategies to prevent racism at the local community level through comprehensive incorporation of the anti- racism message in schools and community centers.
We should remember that we are all one human family, regardless of race, colour, descent, ethnic or social origin. The cultures and communities of the Asia - Pacific region, with their long traditions of philosophy, thought and interaction, are especially well placed to spread the message that diversity is one of the world's strongest assets. If this twenty-first century is to be the era of peace we all hope for, we will have to respect each other's differences and recognize that we share in common the basic traits of what it is to be human. Governments must recommit themselves to the principle that all persons, regardless of their racial or ethnic origin, have the right to be treated equally and fairly. This principle can only be realized through a revitalized and comprehensive review of law and practice with the help of civil society. Time and time again, it has been made clear that the unequal treatment of minority groups or migrants can only hamper a country from making full use of the talent and energy of its people, and undermine national development and consciousness. Let us build upon the ethic of a dialogue among civilizations and see in diversity, not a threat, but rather an enrichment of society.
I wish you well in your deliberations.