Excerpts from document A/61/100 [F] [S] [A] [C] [R]
● Item 65: Elimination of racism and racial discrimination:
(a) Elimination of racism and racial discrimination
Documents:
♦ Status of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
At its twentieth session, in 1965, the General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (resolution 2106 A (XX)). The Convention entered into force on 4 January 1969. As at 13 April 2006, 170 States had ratified or acceded to the Convention.
At its fifty-ninth session, the General Assembly decided to consider at its sixty-first session the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (resolution 59/176, sect. III).♦ Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
In accordance with article 8 of the Convention, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination consists of 18 experts. Members of the Committee are elected for a term of four years and are eligible for re-election. At present the Committee is composed of the following members:
Mr. Mahmoud Aboul-Nasr (Egypt), Mr. Nourredine Amir (Algeria), Mr. Alexei S. Avtonomov (Russian Federation), Mr. Ralph F. Boyd Jr. (United States of America), Mr. José Francisco Cali Tzay (Guatemala), Ms. Fatimata Binta Victoire Dah (Burkina Faso), Mr. Kokou Mawuena Ika Kana Ewomsan (Togo), Mr. Régis de Gouttes (France), Ms. Patricia Nozipho January-Bardill (South Africa), Mr. Morten Kjaerum (Denmark), Mr. José A. Lindgren Alves (Brazil), Mr. Raghavan Vasudevan Pillai (India), Mr. Agha Shahi (Pakistan), Mr. Linos Alexander Sicilianos (Greece), Mr. Tang Chengyuan (China), Mr. Patrick Thornberry (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Mr. Luis Valencia Rodríguez (Ecuador) and Mr. Mario Jorge Yutzis (Argentina).
Under article 9 of the Convention, the Committee reports annually, through the Secretary-General, to the General Assembly on its activities and may make suggestions and recommendations based on the examination of reports and information received from States parties to the Convention.
At its fifty-ninth session, the General Assembly decided to consider, at its sixty-first session, the reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on its sixty-sixth to sixty-ninth sessions, the report of the Secretary-General on the financial situation of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention (resolution 59/176).♦ Global efforts for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
At its fifty-ninth session, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to reflect the outcome of the high-level seminar in his report to the Assembly at its sixty-first session on the follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (resolution 59/177).
At its sixtieth session, the General Assembly decided that the Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Human Rights should constitute a three-tiered intergovernmental process for the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; requested the Secretary-General to provide the necessary resources for the effective fulfilment of the mandates of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; also requested the Secretary-General to provide the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance with all the necessary human and financial assistance to carry out his mandate efficiently, effectively and expeditiously and to enable him to submit an interim report to the Assembly at its sixty-first session; and further requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the resolution to the Assembly at its sixty-first session (resolution 60/144).♦ Inadmissibility of certain practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
At its sixtieth session, the General Assembly invited Governments and non-governmental organizations to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights; and decided to remain seized of the issue (resolution 60/143).
(b) Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
Document:
At its fifty-sixth session, the General Assembly endorsed the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 8 September 2001 by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (A/CONF.189/12); and requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in follow-up to the Conference, to report annually to the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights (resolution 56/266).
The General Assembly considered the question at its fifty-seventh to fifty-ninth sessions (resolutions 57/195, sect. III, 58/160, sect. III, 59/177, sect. III, and decision 57/532).
At its sixtieth session, the General Assembly approved the programme of work of the Third Committee for the sixty-first session of the Assembly, which contained the sub-item (decision 60/537). The sub-item has therefore been included in the provisional agenda of the sixty-first session.
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