Fwd: Information Note 3: 10 December Stocktaking Post-Durban
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 16:48:38 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Fwd: Information Note 3: 10 December Stocktaking Post-Durban
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Laurie Wiseberg <[email protected]>
Fwd: Information Note 3: 10 December Stocktaking Post-Durban
Friends:
This year, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will
commemorate International Human Rights Day (10 December) in Geneva,
New York and the field, with an initial stocktaking of activities and
plans for the follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. The focus will be
on how States, United Nations bodies and specialized agencies,
international and regional organizations, national human rights
institutions and non-governmental organizations intend to implement
the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
Looking back on the Durban Conference, we were fortunate to secure
agreement on a strong Declaration and Program of Action just three
days before the shocking events of 11 September. Far from being
overtaken by these events, 11 September has made the
anti-discrimination agenda even more important. While welcoming the
unanimous adoption of Security Council Resolution 1373, requiring all
countries to take specific measures to combat terrorism, it is also
important to safeguard against any erosion of human rights standards
which might flow as an unintended consequence of such measures. In
this context it has become even more important to promote the
international anti-discrimination agenda and to ensure that this
agenda is pursued in parallel with international action to combat
terrorism. Therefore we see the initial stocktaking on 10 December as
reviewing progress on the follow-up to the Durban Conference, against
the background of these more recent developments.
In order to assist our Office in its preparations for 10 December, we
are asking NGOs to briefly indicate to us, by 3 December 2001 if
possible, any initiatives or activities that have taken place, or that
are being planned that would be relevant in assessing the
implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. We
would also appreciate any views that your organization might have on
how the new anti-discrimination agenda might be pursued in parallel to
the international response to terrorism. For your information, our
Office is planning to carry out a second stocktaking on 21 March, the
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in
order to ensure that the momentum of implementation is not lost.
I look forward to hearing from your organization on how best we can
protect and promote the principles and commitments of Durban in the
current international context.
Also, for those in the Geneva area, we will be having a small session
with NGOs on follow-up on 5 December, from 10:00-12:00 at Palais
Wilson. Please let us know if you are able to attend as the room
presently booked is a small one.
Laurie Wiseberg
NGO Laision WCAR
Tel. (41 22) 917 9393
Fax. (41 22) 917 9050
E-mail: [email protected]
------------------------------
Friends:
Apologies for the silence the past weeks, but our ListServe was being
updated. We now send the Post-Durban Information Note 2 promised last
month, intended as an annex to Note 1.
As stated when we sent out copies of the NGO Declaration and Plan of
Action, a few sections of the document were controversial. This
included the brief explanatory note that introduces the document
(changed from the version that the Drafting Committee had originally
prepared); the section on Antisemitism, where one paragraph protesting
"anti-Zionism" was deleted by a vote in plenary; and two paragraphs
(418 and 419) on the Palestinians which contained language that many
felt inappropriate and harmful. It was because of these paragraphs
that the High Commissioner stated that she could not commend the
document to Governments. Nonetheless, amongst the NGOs in Durban,
there was broad acceptance of the rest of the document, which contains
an analysis of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance, and a programme of action that many agree is a positive,
soundly-ground and a way forward.
Those concerned with the controversy may wish to consult the following
documents, which are available at <www.hri.ca/racism> (see section on
Major NGO documents) or at <www.icare.to>.
Jewish Caucus Walks Out of NGO Forum against
Racism
Press Release, 1 September 2001.
Joint Statement by Eastern and Central Europe NGO Caucus and other
NGOs at the NGO Forum of the World Conference Against Racism
ERRC Dissociates Itself from WCAR NGO
Forum
Press Release, 5 September 2001.
Irish NGOs Response to the World Conference Against Racims NGO Forum
and Outcome Documents.
Palestinian and Arab Caucuses of the NGO Forum for the World
Conference Against Racism
Press Release, 5 September 2001.
Coordination fran�aise pour le Lobby Europ�en des Femmes
(C.L.E.F.)
Press Release, 19 September 2001.
"Open Letter to Organizers of NGO Forum" by Dutch
Organizations
7 September 2001
Open Letter to the NGO Forum from Drafting Committee
Members
September 4, 2001
Laurie Wiseberg
NGO Laision WCAR
Tel. (41 22) 917 9393
Fax. (41 22) 917 9050
E-mail: [email protected]
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