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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC) from 1995 to 2001 and by Africa Action from 2001 to 2003. APIC was merged into Africa Action in 2001. Please note that many outdated links in this archived document may not work.


Africa: Racism Conference, 1

Africa: Racism Conference, 1
Date distributed (ymd): 010731
Document reposted by APIC

Africa Policy Electronic Distribution List: an information service provided by AFRICA ACTION (incorporating the Africa Policy Information Center, The Africa Fund, and the American Committee on Africa). Find more information for action for Africa at http://www.africapolicy.org

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NOTE TO READERS:

The Africa Policy Electronic Distribution List will take a vacation break during the month of August. Postings will resume the first week of September.

+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++

Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +economy/development+ +political/rights+

SUMMARY CONTENTS:

The White House has threatened to boycott the World Conference against Racism to be held in Durban from August 31 to September 7, highlighting its objections to the possible mention of Zionism as Racism and to discussion of reparations for slavery and the slave trade. The Third Preparatory Session for the Conference is now under way in Geneva until August 10 (see
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/racism/). The US House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution yesterday urging U.S. participation.

Whatever the status of U.S. official participation, the conference and the parallel non-governmental event will be a unprecedented opportunity to raise fundamental issues of inequality, past, present and future.

This posting contains (1) the most recent statement on the conference by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, (2) a press release from the International Human Rights Law Group, one of many non-governmental statements critiqueing the White House threat and calling for U.S. high-level participation, and (3) a press release and brief excerpts from a new Human Rights Watch paper which supports reparations and suggests priorizing groups "that continue to suffer the most severe hardships" by addressing current inequalities with means such as investment in education, health care, housing, and job training.

A related posting today contains an article by Dennis Brutus and Ben Cashdan relating issues of inequality inside South Africa and globally. For additional background and links see

http://www.africafocus.org/docs01/wcar0101.php>, http://www.africafocus.org/docs00/wcar0010.htm, and http://www.africapolicy.org/action/other.htm#racism

+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Economic and Social Council, Geneva, 24 July 2001

Statement by Mary Robinson
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Secretary-General of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

http://www.unhchr.ch/html/racism

You also have before you the Secretary-General's report on the "Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and preparatory process for the World Conference". This is a report on the major activities undertaken in the context of the Third Decade and the preparatory process for the World Conference including the regional preparatory meetings, the regional expert seminars and the NGO Forums that were held all over the world.

Let me take this opportunity to say a few more words about the conference. As we stand at the beginning of a new century, the continuing existence of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance constitutes a fundamental human rights challenge. The Durban conference will be nothing less than a conference to discuss the core principles that should underpin this new century. It is an important opportunity for the world community to commit, for the first time in the post-apartheid era, to a truly global effort to address the ancient and the modern manifestations of this evil.

This conference is also special in the way that it engages individuals and civil society as much as it does States. Looking at the enormous response from NGOs, it is clear that Durban will not be a dry political gathering dominated by technical negotiations. There will be some of that. But there will also be a rich coming together of peoples and cultures; an exchange of ideas and experiences. This conference is a call for all of us to reflect on our own responsibility, to be aware of the prejudices that we carry, sometimes consciously but in many cases, unconsciously. If we wish for real change, we must also look into our own hearts.

We are now only 37 days from the opening ceremony of the World Conference. Whilst much remains to be done, it is important to note that much has already been achieved. The regional preparatory meetings have recognised that racism is a problem in every country and every region. The profile of racism as a global issue has been raised to an unprecedented level. Groups all over the world have had their voices heard and their concerns acknowledged in ways that were not possible before preparations for the World Conference began. Disparate groups which have been conducting separate struggles against racism and discrimination are coming together. We are seeing the creation of a global constituency which did not exist before. At the level of civil society, Durban promises to be a significant event which will permanently change the way that racism issues are viewed and dealt with.

To a large extent, however, the success of Durban will be measured according to the formal outcomes adopted by national delegations � the Declaration and the Programme of Action. This is the main challenge now facing States.

The negotiation of these key documents has not been an easy process. The subject matter of this conference touches upon delicate issues; not just matters of domestic policy and practice but, in some cases, fundamental issues of national identity. Whilst individual societies have embarked on processes of reflection and reconciliation, we as a global community have never attempted it before.

Notwithstanding these difficulties, I believe we can have a successful outcome. I have spoken of the need for a breakthrough on racism at Durban. It will require good will and compromise on all sides; I am sure that no country or group will walk away completely satisfied. But the time for staking out positions and laying down markers has past � we are now at the stage where we need to begin reaching agreements.

There is no possibility of a neutral outcome from this World Conference. As I have said, I believe that it will succeed. But if it does not, then the disappointment will be great and the bitterness and recriminations will be likely to spill over into other issues and other forums. At a time when the international community is grappling with so many complex global problems we simply cannot afford to fail to find consensus on an issue as clear cut as racism.

At Durban our objectives will be threefold:

  1. a Declaration that solemnly acknowledges the wrongs of the past, notes the current manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and commits States and peoples to moving forward together in the fight against racism;
  2. a concrete, forward-looking, Programme of Action that identifies practical steps for fulfilling this commitment; and
  3. an alliance forged between governments and civil society that will enable the struggle against racism to be carried beyond Durban.

As the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said in Berlin a few weeks ago:

"We must find ways to acknowledge the past without getting lost there; and to help heal old wounds without reopening them. We must deal with the past, but most importantly we must reinvigorate the future. We need a programme of action, not a lapse into recrimination."

I believe that this is achievable.

The third meeting of the preparatory committee will take place here in Geneva from 30 July to 10 August. The Secretariat will do everything possible to support the work of delegates at that meeting. In the margins of the prepcom, I have invited a group of Eminent Persons to conduct a round-table discussion on 3 August on the importance of this World Conference. I am also pleased that so many States have already nominated high level political leadership for their delegations to Durban and that a number of Heads of State have also confirmed their intention to be present. I would ask all governments to ensure the highest possible level of attendance, as befits a World Conference on an issue as serious as this one.

Finally, I am deeply grateful to the Government of South Africa for their offer to host the World Conference, for which arrangements are proceeding very well. It is impossible to imagine a better venue for this vital conference or a more appropriate place to build upon the great success of the last century � the eradication of apartheid.

Thank you.


US Must Be At UN Table, No Matter Its Views On Reparations

International Human Rights Law Group
1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 602
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone: (1-202) 822.4600
Fax: (1-202) 822.4606
Email: [email protected]
http://www.hrlawgroup.org

PRESS RELEASE

July 27, 2002

Washington

DC based UN official and host of voices of victims at WCAR urges Bush Administration to signal its support for racism conference.

Gay McDougall, Member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racism and the co-host of what promises to be one of the most memorable sessions at the upcoming World Conference on Racism today called on President Bush to affirm his commitment to ending racism by sending a high-level delegation to the upcoming conference.

"Regardless of the Bush Administration's opinions on reparation, he will never be seen as a world leader if he refuses to even participate in world discussions about these issues. The US must be at the table in Durban,: said Gay McDougall, who is also the Executive Director of the International Human Rights Law Group based in Washington, DC. "Bush has shown absolutely no commitment to ending racial discrimination. This is a perfect opportunity to do that. People of color in the US are more than just voting blocs and the President needs to demonstrate his administration is willing to discuss issues of racial discrimination as part of the international community," McDougall added.

McDougall is co-hosting Voices of Victims, at the upcoming WCAR, a platform that will give voice to, and put a face on, the very topic of racism being discussed by the official delegates. During six days, from 1 September, through 6 September, more than 20 presenters representing every region of the world will tell their personal story of how their lives have been affected by racism, xenophobia and related oppressions.

The hearings will take place from 13:15 to 14:45 (Durban Time, during the delegates lunch break) each day of the conference and will be carried live by South African Broadcasting Corporation.

"We are giving the people affected most by racism a representative voice in this UN conference so that victims, and those who have triumphed over racism, can be heard loud and clear by the nations of the world," said McDougall.

Voices will focus on individual stories of how racism has affected each presenter personally. Because of the sensitive nature of topics being discussed by the presenters, a list of their names will not be available to the media until the first day of the hearings.

The United Nations is using the physical placement of the hearings to send a signal of their importance, placing the hearings in the main convention hall, most easily accessible to the delegates. This is the only event than UN deliberations and committee meetings, taking place in the main hall.

Voices is sponsored by the Washington, DC, headquartered International Human Rights Law Group, Gay McDougall, Executive Director, and by Barney Pityana, Chair of the South African Human Rights Commission.

SOUTH AFRICA BROADCASTING CORPORATION TO PROVIDE LIVE COVERAGE

South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) will provide pool coverage and be broadcasting the Voices Hearings on their domestic and continental news channels. Voices will be available as part of the pool services to all accredited media in the broadcast village for further technical information contact Lucia Fourie on Tel +27 11 714 6811; Cell +27 82 561 3649; e-mail: [email protected]

Print media credentialed by the UN will be able to access the hearings being held in the Main Committee Room of the International Convention Center. Broadcast media will be able to access the hearings via pool feed as described above, or if on site, will be allowed into the hearing room in restricted areas.

For more information contact Scott Blaine Swenson, 202 423 8130, [email protected]


Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org

Reparations Urged for Slavery, Segregation

(New York, July 19, 2001) In advance of a major international conference on racism, Human Rights Watch today called for reparations to counter the most severe continuing effects of slavery, segregation, and other extreme forms of racism.

Human Rights Watch said national and international panels should be created with maximum transparency and public participation to identify and acknowledge past abuses and to guide action to counter their present-day effect.

"Groups that suffer today because of slavery or other severe racist practices should be compensated by governments responsible for these practices," said Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. "Those most seriously victimized today by past wrongs should be the first priority for compensation to end their victimization."

Roth said reparations for past abuse should focus first on groups that continue to suffer the most severe hardships. "We're not talking about a handout or a windfall," said Roth. "We are calling for long-term commitments to correct the damage done to the groups left most seriously disadvantaged."

Human Rights Watch proposed the establishment of national panels, in multiracial countries such as the United States, Brazil and South Africa, as well as one or more international panels to look at the effect of the slave trade. These panels would focus on tracing these effects not for particular individuals but for groups.

The panels should serve as truth commissions aiming to reveal the extent to which a government's past racist practices contribute to contemporary deprivation domestically and abroad, Roth said. They should educate the public, acknowledge responsibility, and propose methods of redress and making amends.

A primary purpose of reparations would be to address the social and economic foundations of today's victims' continuing marginalization-through means such as investment in education, housing, health care, or job training.

The question of compensation for slavery will be one of the most controversial topics when the U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance meets in Durban, South Africa from August 31 to September 7.

A copy of Human Rights Watch's position paper is available at: http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/race/reparations.htm.

For more information on race and human rights, please see:

Racism & Human Rights (HRW Campaign Page) at
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/race/index.htm


Brief Excerpts from HRW Position Paper

* First, given that the resources available for reparations are inevitably limited, we would focus as a matter of priority on those in greatest need today. Wealthier individuals and groups may well be able to show that their ancestors suffered because of slavery or the most racist aspects of colonialism. ...But because their wealth suggests that they have substantially surmounted this legacy, we would not make them the focus of a reparations scheme. An approach based on economic and social rights shifts the focus to those most in need. ...

* Third, a focus on economic and social rights provides a more concrete benchmark for measuring the appropriate magnitude of reparations. The purpose of the amount sought would not be to rectify an intangible past harm but to redress a quite tangible contemporary harm - again, at least insofar as it was caused by past racial injustice.

* Fourth, an approach based on economic and social rights would allow reparations schemes to reinforce solutions to the world's most acute development challenges rather than setting up competition for limited funds from claimants who may not correspond with those most in need. The purpose of reparations payments would not be simply to hand over sums of money to the descendants of past victims, but to rectify the social and economic processes that underlie today's victims' continuing marginalization. Thus, reparations payments would presumably be used for investment in education, housing, health care, or job training, rather than consumer goods or other ephemeral benefits.

* Sixth, a focus on economic and social rights highlights the need for reparations schemes to supplement affirmative action with broader social investments aimed at benefiting entire disadvantaged groups, not just their most successful members. Affirmative action is certainly one useful remedial tool. But in practice affirmative action tends to favor those members of a disadvantaged group who are relatively advantaged and in the best position to benefit from the extra opportunities provided. An approach based on economic and social rights would insist on broader social investment to lift from extreme poverty even the least advantaged members of a disadvantaged group. ...

Once the appropriate beneficiaries of reparations can be identified, it is still necessary to determine who should pay the financial component. People today will ask why they should be held responsible for the crimes of their ancestors. That is why we would focus on the responsibility of governments. A government that sponsored or permitted slavery, the slave trade, or other severe racist practices should not, in our view, be allowed to avoid responsibility simply because of the passage of time.

However, even though governments have an intergenerational life, we recognize that to hold them responsible for past crimes is, as a practical matter, to hold today's citizens or taxpayers responsible. We believe this attribution of responsibility can be justified by reference to the economic benefits that these countries derived from, say, slavery or abusive colonialism - benefits that presumably helped to jumpstart their industrialization and thus continue to the present. We note that this rationale would apply even to immigrants who arrived in a beneficiary country after these abusive practices ended, since they, too, presumably have benefited from the advanced economy they joined.


This material is being reposted for wider distribution by Africa Action (incorporating the Africa Policy Information Center, The Africa Fund, and the American Committee on Africa). Africa Action's information services provide accessible information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and international policies toward Africa that advance economic, political and social justice and the full spectrum of human rights.

URL for this file: http://www.africafocus.org/docs01/dur0107a.php