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WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM, RACIAL AND
ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION, ZENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE
Declaration of the African NGO
Forum
Dakar (Senegal), 20th – 21st
January 2001
We, African NGOs, as
well as African and other international civil society organizations,
meeting in Dakar during the period (20th and 21st
January 2001) for the preparation of the World Conference against
Racism, Racial Discrimination, xenophobia and Related Intolerance,
to be held in South Africa in accordance with UN General Assembly
Resolution 52/111,
REAFFIRM that
all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and
inalienable, irrespective of distinction of any kind such as race,
colour, sex, gender, language, national or ethnic identity, social
origin, disability, sexual orientation, age and religion.
RECOGNISE that
all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and
have the capacity to contribute constructively to the development
and well-being of their societies and, that all human societies,
especially African societies are based on the shared values of
tolerance, solidarity and multiculturalism;
NOTE WITH CONCERN
the persistence and increase of racism, racial and ethnic
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in all the
continents, as well as the existence of contemporary forms of these
phenomena;
ACKNOWLEDGE
that racism, racial and ethnic discrimination, xenophobia and
related intolerance are mainly due to the ignorance and rejection of
others as well as the will of some groups to dominate others for
economic, political, social and cultural purposes;
CONSIDER that
racism, racial and ethnic discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance are the roots of large-scale violations of human rights
and fundamental freedoms and that they often occur in the form of
marginalisation, exclusion, pauperisation, ethnic cleansing and
genocide; and as such, they constitute a threat to all human
societies and to their fundamental values;
REAFFIRM that
racism, racial and ethnic discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance constitute gross violations of human rights and must be
addressed with all appropriate means, including legal means;
CONSIDER that
the slave trade, colonialism, policies of racial segregation and
Apartheid are the most hideous forms of racism and racial and ethnic
discrimination suffered by the African continent and people of
African descent and which caused severe human, economic, political,
social, psychological and cultural loss;
ACKNOWLEDGE the traumatic
effects of historical trans-Atlantic slave trade, traditional and
contemporary forms of slavery and bondage that continue to haunt the
victims and arrest their ability to achieve their full potential as
equal citizens of the world and condemn the attitudes, and
indifference of the international community who continue to ignore
the practice of contemporary forms of slavery;
CONSIDER that
in Africa racial and ethnic discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance are mainly prompted by motives relating to language,
religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, skin
complexion, and are directed against such people as refugees, asylum
seekers, internally displaced people, stateless persons, migrant
workers, natives, ethnic minorities, HIV/AIDS affected people, the
disabled;
RECALL the
positive role played by the international community in supporting
the African peoples in their struggle against Colonialism and
Apartheid in the Southern African region;
NOTE that,
despite the efforts of the United Nations Organisation to combat
racism, racial and ethnic discrimination, xenophobia, and related
intolerance, these phenomena are still persistent and affect the
lives of millions of Africans or persons of African origin in other
parts of the world;
RECOGNISE that
racism, racial and ethnic discrimination and xenophobia affect women
differently, aggravate their living conditions, generating multiple
forms of discrimination and limits or negates the full enjoyment and
exercise of their human rights;
RECOGNISE with
concern the increase in trafficking and sexual and other forms of
exploitation of African women and girls. This victimisation is
aggravated by migration and by armed conflict that engulf much of
Africa at the present time;
WELCOME the
addition of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination General Recommendations XXV on Gender Related
Dimensions of Racial Discrimination, and we call on Committee on the
Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women to include
a general recommendation on the Racial Dimensions of Gender
Discrimination.
NOTE with
great concern that many Africans infected with or affected by
HIV/AIDS as well as those who are presumed to be infected, belong to
vulnerable groups in which racism, racial, ethnic, gender, sexual
orientation and other forms of discrimination, xenophobia, and
related intolerance have a negative impact and impede access to
health and medication;
CONSIDER the
special relationship that indigenous people have with their land as
the basis of their physical and cultural existence and recalling
that they have been victims of discrimination and environmental
racism which has degraded their cultural systems, devastated their
resources, and had led to political and economic disempowerment;
NOTE with
concern that the benefits of globalisation are far outweighed by the
negative effects such as the increased discrimination,
marginalisation, and exclusion of African countries which is leading
to a complete domination of the world's resources and wealth in the
hands of a few races and excluding others;
RECOGNISE the
important role to be played by African youth and young adults and
welcome their involvement in the preparatory processes of the World
Conference Against Racism and that racism, racial and ethnic
discrimination and xenophobia impacts young men and women
differently;
DENOUNCE
environmental racism of which Africa is bearing a disproportionate
and share of the burden of environmental deterioration represented
by dumping of toxic wastes, dangerous work conditions, and dangerous
and unregulated methods of extracting natural resources;
BEAR in mind
the situation of vulnerability in which migrants frequently find
themselves owing to their absence from their state of origin and to
the difficulties they encounter because of differences in language,
custom, gender and culture, as well as the economic and social
difficulties and obstacles for the return of undocumented migrants
and noting with grave concern that migrants have been turned into
scapegoats for real or perceived economic or social problems,-
NOTE with
concern that Africa is host to a large number of refugees and
internally displaced persons, most of who are women and children,
and that many of them are not protected by the relevant
international, regional, sub-regional instruments or national
legislation and consequently are more vulnerable to discrimination
and xenophobia;
WE RECOMMEND
that the African Regional Conference as well as the World Conference
against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance:
- Encourage all States to enact
effective legal provisions for the punishment of acts of racism,
racial and ethnic discrimination, xenophobia, slavery, exclusion
and related intolerance, and to take measures for the effective
enforcement of those legislations;
- Recognise and declare that the
slave trade, slavery and colonialism inflicted on the African
Continent and the Diaspora constitute crimes against humanity;
- Accept the right of the African
peoples of the Continent and in the Diaspora, to just and fair
compensatory measures which include reparations, apologies, and
pledges of non-repetition of outrages suffered by Africans,
regardless of who the perpetrators were and call for international
cooperation in the achievement of these goals;
- Request those African States,
which have not done so, to ratify all conventions relating to the
elimination of racism, racial and ethnic discrimination,
xenophobia, slavery and related intolerance, and to harmonize
their national legislations with the aforesaid treaties;
- Encourage all States to implement
national policies and plans of action aimed at fighting racism -
institutional or otherwise - racial and ethnic discrimination,
xenophobia, slavery, exclusion and related intolerance, and to
promote partnership relationships with civil society, mainly
through national human rights institutions;
- Design educational curricula that
are likely to promote acceptance of others, non-discrimination and
mutual understanding among peoples and to strengthen solidarity;
- Request all States to take
specific measures for the protection of vulnerable groups,
especially women, children, youth, the disabled, people with
HIV/AIDS, refugees, indigenous populations;
- Request all States to take
measures to put an end to trafficking and other forms of sexual
exploitation of women and girls, especially in cases of migration
and armed conflicts;
- Recommend that the media adopt
codes of conduct, which prohibit the diffusion of ideas
propagating racial hatred and discrimination, and promote- the
values of mutual respect and tolerance among all peoples;
- Encourage all States to take steps
for strengthening the autonomy and capacity of African media to
actively contribute to the production and dissemination of
objective information and images about the continent and its
people;
- Appeal to the international
community to influence non-State actors, especially multinational
corporations and armed groups, so that their activities do not
contribute to fostering racism, racial and ethnic discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance, and to take appropriate
measures likely to put an end to the impunity of those actors;
- Call upon all African states to
incorporate a gender perspective into all programmes of action
against racism, racial and ethnic discrimination, xenophobia and
related forms of intolerance in order to address the phenomenon of
multiple discrimination against women;
- Strongly recommend the utilisation
of the WCAR to create consensus around monitoring and remedying
the intersectional discrimination suffered by women from
subordinated racial and ethnic groups and urge all African states
to submit to the various treaty bodies data disaggregated by
gender, race and ethnicity and that gender should be mainstreamed
into all the reporting processes;
- Urge that a comprehensive approach
be used in the realisation and enforcement of basic rights, such
as the right to health, education, and work, without
discrimination against all those infected and affected by HIV,
including those who are of same sex orientation;
- Recommend that all States assure
full and free participation of indigenous people in all phases of
decision making, particularly in relation to subjects of concern
to them and in their determination of their own priorities for the
development of their land, including control of their natural
resources;
- Strongly urge the international
community to take all necessary measures to maximize the possible
benefits of globalisation through strengthening cooperation and
the creation of a fair and just environment for increased
opportunities for trade, economic growth, and sustainable
development, global communication through the use of new
technologies and increased intercultural exchange through the
preservation and promotion of cultural diversity;
- Strongly urge the African
governments to fully reinforce legislation and policies that
protect society from dangerous practices that tend to pollute the
environment and demand multinational corporations to abide by
international safety norms and offer compensatory measures to
affected communities and guarantee a healthy and sustainable
existence for all members of society;
- Recommend the universal
ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of
the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families as
encouraged in several resolutions of the Commission on Human
Rights and the General Assembly and review where necessary the
modification of immigration policies, legislations and programs of
the states of origin, transit, and destination which have racist
content or effect, with a view to eliminating all discriminatory
policies and practices against migrants;
- Take immediate action be taken to
recognize the status of all refugees and literally displaced
persons in all African countries and provide them with the
necessary protection.
- Adopt measures to include youth
participation at all levels of the preparatory processes leading
to the WCAR.
World Conference against Racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
The full text of the Declaration can be found
here:
Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
(updated 31 January 2002)
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IMPORTANT: Get the background information
here
And see the Int. NGO declaration
as it was left at:
http://www.icare.to/ngo-draft-declaration2.html
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