Annan urges universal fight against ‘everyday’ intolerance – root of racist horrors
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on everyone, from parents to schools to governments, to fight
everyday discrimination and “unteach” common-place intolerance that underpin humanity’s “most horrific crimes.”
“From name-calling in schools to hiring and firing decisions in the workplace, from selective media or police coverage
of crimes to unequal provision of Government services, the mistreatment of racial or ethnic groups not only abounds in
our societies, but often passes unchallenged,” he said in a message marking the International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination.
“That such everyday racism remains prevalent is undeniable. But for it to pass unchallenged is unconscionable,” he added
of this year’s theme - Fighting Everyday Discrimination.
The Day commemorates 21 March, 1960, when police in apartheid South Africa fired on a peaceful demonstration in
Sharpeville protesting racially discriminatory laws. Dozens of protestors died, and many more were wounded.
“We are all aware that many of man’s greatest atrocities have had racial underpinnings, but the collective toll
inflicted by routine racism is frequently overlooked. Indeed, the edifices of humanity’s most horrific crimes have often
been built on the foundations of banal bigotry,” Mr. Annan said.
“We must not tolerate the creeping rot of routine discrimination. Nor can we resign ourselves to it as a regrettable
attribute of human nature. None of us is born to hate. Intolerance is taught and can be untaught.
“Legal guarantees are a fundamental part of this fight. But education must be its vanguard. Education can foster
awareness and cultivate tolerance. It should begin at home - where, after all, many racist attitudes have their origin -
continue in school, and become integral to our public discourse. In this struggle against intolerance, citizens must
simultaneously be teachers and students,” he added.
“The United Nations, through its awareness programmes, international law-making and rights-monitoring roles, has an
important part to play. But all of us need to join this battle,” he concluded, stressing that ultimate success rested
with ordinary citizens speaking out against “ordinary” intolerance.
“It is they who must refuse to tolerate discriminatory acts in their daily lives. It is they who must ensure that there
is nothing “everyday” about discrimination. And it is they who will benefit the most from communities built on rights
and respect for all.”
In the keynote address at a ceremony marking the Day in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said
that despite the many efforts undertaken by the international community, racism and racist practices continued to spread
in subtle, vicious and insidious ways.
Her Office was determined to make the struggle against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
a priority, cutting across all areas of its activities, she added.