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Opening speech of Mary Robinson,
United Nations High Commissioner for the Human Rights
and
Secretary-General to the World Conference on Racism

at the

Expert Seminar on remedies available to the victims of acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and on good national practices in this field

Geneva, 16-18 February 2000
Palais des Nations


Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to welcome the participants in this important seminar and to express my deep appreciation to the Government of Switzerland for the generous support which has made the seminar possible. The Government of Switzerland has set an example by hosting a seminar on a specific aspect of the racism issue; I hope other Governments will follow the lead so that we have a wide range of meetings on different aspects of the problem at national, regional and sub-regional level.

The seminar takes place in the context of activities being conducted in preparation for the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance which will take place in South Africa next year.

The World Conference is one of the most important international events being held at the start of the new century. I believe it can result in policies and strategies to improve the situation of the large numbers of victims of racial discrimination and to strengthen prevention systems. The success of the World Conference will be an overriding priority for me, as High Commissioner and Secretary-General, and my Office over the coming 18 months.

During these three days you will consider remedies available to the victims of acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The principal objective will be to arrive at concrete recommendations, to enable us to develop appropriate measures to improve the remedies for victims of racial discrimination. Another major aim is to promote an exchange of experiences concerning good national practices.

Every human being, no matter where he or she lives, no matter what his or her situation, has human rights which every authority must respect. These rights derive from the basic dignity inherent in each of us. The standards we apply to racism and racial discrimination are based on this fundamental principle.

It is the obligation of each State to guarantee to individuals the rights recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as those maintained in the United Nations international human rights instruments, without distinction to race, color, sex, religion, opnion, birth or any other situation.

The principles establishing non-discrimination and the equality of all human beings have been accepted by Governments and recognized in international law. However, this is not sufficient. The rights proclaimed must be assured by effective guarantees at the national level which allow individuals to have access to recourse procedures when their rights are violated.

In a large number of States, effective recourse procedures allowing victims of acts of racial discrimination - be they penal, civil or administrative - have not yet been established. And in those States where these recourse procedures exist, they are often little known, or they are complex and difficult to use effectively or require significant financial resources that they are rarely available to those who suffer most.

At the international level, there is a mechanism available under article 14 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to receive and consider complaints by those States which have made the optional declaration for this purpose. However, to date the optional declaration has been made by only 29 State parties to the Convention.

I would encourage you to consider and examine different judicial, administrative and other procedures to ensure that the principles of non-discrimination and equality are applied in practice. I also recommend that you evaluate actions undertaken in different States with a view to exchanging experiences and ideas concerning best national practices to combat racial discrimination.

As regards national experiences, I would stress the important work that has been undertaken by national institutions and non-governmental organizations. We must recognize that, while the main responsibility to combat racism falls on governmental authorities, it is also necessary that energetic action takes place at local level. National institutions and NGOs have a crucial role in mobilizing public opinion and in the dissemination of information to assist society in fighting racism.

One activity which should form part of the preparation for the World Conference is to make as precise a diagnosis as possible of what constitutes acts of racism. We can do this with the assistance of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by making an inventory of the specific forms that racism takes in society, by drawing up profiles of the victims and racist hate organizations, and by assessing the reaction of public opinion. It will also be necessary to look closely at new and emerging forms of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance, and the difficulties victims have in obtaining adequate recourse against these phenomena. In this regard, we must note that new forms of communications technology such as the Internet are being used to support the dissemination of racial hatred. Another phenomenon which must receive adequate attention is the situation of migrants whose numbers are increasing all the time. The phenomenon of large-scale migration has often been accompanied by increased instances of racism and xenophobia.

It is important that you give thought to preventive measures at the international and regional level to combat racial discrimination, and that you make as precise recommendations as possible for the elaboration of new measures. Our seminar during the next three days should serve as a basis for cataloging the different recourse procedures which have been established at the national and local level to assist victims of racial discrimination.

Finally, we should discuss how to reinforce international cooperation on the dissemination of information about good national practices, the harmonizations of anti-racism legislation as well as the coordination of strategies in the struggle to overcome all forms of racial discrimination.

May I close by wishing you the best of success with this seminar. I look forward to receiving your report and recommendations. Thank you.