7th Session of the HRC 26th March 2008

Morning

The Human Rights Council held a General Debate on racism, on the follow-up and implementation of the Durban Declaration, on technical assistance and capacity building.

During the General Debate Egypt, Slovenia (EU), Russia, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Cuba, Switzerland, China, Finland, Armenia, Iran and Syria took the floor.

Also speaking were representatives of the Indian Council of South America, speaking on behalf of several NGOs1, Movement against Racism and for Friendship among Peoples, International Humanist and Ethical Union, in a joint statement with Association for World Education, Liberation, North-South XXI, Franciscans International, Association for World Education, B'nai B'rith International, speaking on behalf of Coordination Board of Jewish Organizations, International Committee for the Respect and the Application of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, Consultative Council of Jewish Organizations, Association of World Citizens, African Commission of Health, Human Rights Promoters, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Interfaith International, International Islamic Federation of Student Organization (IIFSO), Society for Threatened Peoples, World Union for Progressive Judaism and UNESCO Centre Basque Country.

Dayan Jayatilleka, Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, in concluding remarks, said that no political movement or individual wanted to be termed a racist. And yet, there was a very real challenge to combating contemporary forms of racism. He renewed his pledge to engage in pushing the Durban Declaration forward, excluding no one and no one’s point of view. He also appealed to Member States not to engage in partisan or zero-sum games, which aimed to paralyze or postpone progress within the Durban Review Conference.

Idriss Jazairy, Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Complementary Standards, in concluding remarks, said that his impression was that there was still a long way to go, even within the Council, in order to respect the engagements made at the Durban Conference. The issues that should be tackled in the follow-up work were planned to answer several questions Why was racism happening? Were there different manifestation of racism or not? Did it result from a lack of standard or not, or was it just a problem of implementation? How should the issue be tackled? He said he was still hoping that he would be contacted by the delegations to consult in order to set the dates and to resume their work.

Egypt: on behalf of the African Group. The review and follow-up to the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action was a continuous and necessary exercise, even while the international community was engaged in preparations for the Durban Review Conference. It was regrettable that the review of some of the core provisions and issues contained in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, or even discussion, had not been possible to date. It was the view of the African Group that everyone must summon the necessary political will if the Council, and the world at large, were to make real progress in the fight against racism.

Slovenia: Slovenia took the floor on behalf of the EU, Croatia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Countries of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA country Liechtenstein, member of the European Economic Area, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Armenia. The EU is fully committed to the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Therefore, the EU has its own strategy to combat racism and promote equality among its citizens in a fully endorsement of the Durban Declaration. Slovenia stressed that for the EU all forms of discriminations are unacceptable.

Russia: The Russian Federation urged that the International Community has not yet succumbed to any solution to combat racism. Concerns were expressed about the increasing use of racism – also religious- in politics. Russia also drew attention to the recent escalation of fascist organizations (neo-Nazi ideologies, the rewriting of history and the revision of the Nuremberg trials) which have risen in several countries. States have the primary responsibility to fight this phenomenon.

Cuba: The Cuban delegation stressed the escalation of racism, xenophobia and racial discrimination as a consequence of globalization. Cuba underlined how racist incidents are increasing in several developed countries. Cuba stated that, following September 11, 2001, the anti-terrorist laws make use of arbitrary detention.
Cuba concluded urging the concretization of all agreements signed.

China: China expressed thanks to the Ambassador of Sri-Lanka and Algeria and to the Intergovernmental Working Groups for their reports. Despite the several conferences convened by the UN, racism is still growing. China urged that the Council cannot walk away from its responsibilities. Justice must be brought to the victims of discriminations. China will support the international efforts to fight racism and any form of discrimination.



Concluding Remarks

DAYAN JAYATILLEKA, Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, said that no political movement or individual wanted to be termed a racist. And yet, there was a very real challenge to combating contemporary forms of racism. Given that racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia were at the heart of many manifestations of violence in today’s world, why was it so difficult to address racism? Secondly, he also wished to make an appeal to take note of new ways to look at the interrelated phenomena of racism.

IDRISS JAZAÏRY, Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Ad hoc Committee on Complementary Standards, in concluding remarks said that his impression was that there was still a long way to go, even within the Council, in order to respect the engagements made at the Durban Conference. He said he was still hoping that he would be contacted by the delegations to consult in order to set the dates and to resume their work. A piece of good news was a report of the Political Commission of the Council of Europe, which said that Islam and the West were based on the same concepts. Also, the report rejected the idea of a clash of civilisations.

Right to reply: The Delegations of Morocco and Algeria spoke in right of reply.

General Discussion on Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building

ANDREJ LOGAR (Slovenia), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that technical assistance and capacity building were important aspects to helping countries improve their human rights situations. The international community had an obligation to provide greater technical assistance to countries in need. Efforts to enhance national protection institutions, to eliminate impunity and to reinforce judicial systems were crucial to addressing the most outstanding human rights violations in the world.

RICHARD KAY (New Zealand) said New Zealand recognized that in many cases the provision of technical and financial resources could assist in the implementation of human rights obligations. This was reflected in New Zealand’s aid programme, human rights policy and assistance to partner countries in their effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Working in close cooperation with countries, international and regional organizations and civil society, New Zealand considered that the full and universal implementation of human rights and fundamental freedoms was essential to ending poverty, hunger and disease and to stimulating development that was truly sustainable.

Marco Minocri