The UN Chronicle

Volume XLIV, Number 3, 2007

The Solidarity of Peoples
Racism and racial discrimination are a clear affront to the fundamental truth that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. Yet, six decades after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and four decades after the entry into force of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1969), the principles of equality and non-discrimination are still far from a universal reality. In 2001, the third World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance adopted the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, providing a common agenda for eradicating racial discrimination. However, the comprehensive normative framework, as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour notes in her essay for our magazine, has created “expectations that can only be met by determined and cooperative action”, especially because of the “cultural depth of racism” and the “major historical causes of racial discrimination”. The United Nations has called for a Durban Review Conference, to be held in 2009, to appraise the progress made thus far.

Some of the most vicious forms of racial discrimination in history are slavery, as well as colonialism, which caused immeasurable suffering to the indigenous peoples worldwide, including those of African descent, who were forcibly subjected to servitude as a result of the trans-atlantic slave trade. These past practices are among the leading factors contributing to the lasting forms of social exclusion and structures of economic inequality in many parts of the world today. In Latin America and the Caribbean, for instance, whole communities, particularly indigenous and Afro-descendant populations, are stigmatized because they are perceived as different from the dominant national identity and live in a state of marginalization and extreme poverty .

Unfortunately, the multiple dimensions of racial discrimination frequently extend to related forms of intolerance based on gender, language or religion, reinforcing patterns of exclusion, disadvantage and abuse, preventing victims from enjoying adequate access to social services, education, health care, housing and justice. Studies show that incarcerated aboriginal women make up a staggering 30 per cent of female prisoners in Canada, and in the United States, the extent of racial disparity in imprisonment rates is greater than in any other area of social life. These disparities illustrate the pervasiveness of racial discrimination even in democratic countries. Racial intolerance, if left unchecked, fuels large-scale human rights abuses, including genocidal acts and crimes against humanity, as in Darfur.

Racism represents a systematic denial of human rights to specific ethnic groups; often, attempts are made to justify the racist ideology on scientific grounds. The success of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and the role of the United Nations in spearheading the sanctions campaign against the racist regime, provide valuable lessons for combating contemporary forms of racism, newly virulent in the guise of xenophobia. In Europe, for instance, traditionally fascist parties have been appealing to a broad political spectrum of alienated voters through a “diluted” racist language of cultural difference, rather than racial superiority. This “new racism”, often spread through the Internet, has been leaking into the mainstream and has already had an impact on immigration policies and asylum procedures.

In response to these disturbing trends, the Council of Europe has set up the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance to monitor racist incidents and to build awareness against xenophobia. In Spain, the recent creation of the Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia demonstrates how States can lead efforts in eliminating racial discrimination. Human rights education, along with anti-discrimination legislation, offers the best weapon in eliminating racism and xenophobia. In South Africa, the Model United Nations proves that education, ultimately, is the most powerful tool to bridge the racial divide and advance the solidarity of peoples.