Top UN Human Rights Official Urges States To Uphold Pledges To Fight Racism
New York, Oct 6 2008 4:10PM
The United Nations human rights chief today called on States to do more to uphold the promises they made seven years ago
to tackle racism, xenophobia, discrimination and intolerance – global problems that still plague millions on a daily
basis.
“I urge all Member States to travel that extra mile that makes historic change possible, and to focus on the concrete
pledges undertaken in Durban that will help bring an end to all forms of discrimination,” High Commissioner for Human
Rights Navanethem Pillay said, referring to the World Conference Against Racism held in South Africa in 2001.
She added that implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action – the landmark documents agreed by
Governments seven years ago – “still lags sorely and lamentably behind the solemn commitments that States pledged to
fulfil seven years ago.”
Addressing a preparatory meeting in Geneva for next year’s review of the progress made since Durban, Ms. Pillay urged
States to participate in the process “to ensure that victims of racism, inequality, injustice and intolerance are not
left to believe that the international community is incapable of overcoming its differences in order to properly and
fully address their plight."
She recalled that, seven years ago, “the virulent anti-Semitic behaviour of a few non-governmental organizations [NGOs]
on the sidelines” overshadowed the work of the Conference.
The ongoing review process, she stated, provided a much-needed opportunity to assess and accelerate progress on
implementation of the Programme of Action, which would help end all forms of discrimination including anti-Semitism and
Islamophobia.
At the same time, the review process is “burdened, understandably, with a fear that incidents expressing hatred and
intolerance will be repeated.”
Ms. Pillay called on States to take a more forward-looking approach. “It would be tragic to allow this fear to
compromise our efforts to find common ground and to hinder our ability to promote further effective action to eliminate
hatred and intolerance of this very kind,” she stated.
ENDS