52/111 Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and
the convening of a world conference on racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming its objectives as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations of achieving international cooperation in solving problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,

Reaffirming also its firm determination and its commitment to eradicate totally and unconditionally racism, in all its forms, and racial discrimination,

Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ⁽²⁶⁵⁾ the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination ⁽²⁶⁶⁾ and the Convention against Discrimination in Education, adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 14 December 1960, ⁽²⁶⁷⁾

Recalling also the outcome of the two World Conferences to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, held at Geneva in 1978 and in 1983,

Welcoming the outcome of the World Conference on Human Rights, held at Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993, and, in particular, the attention given in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action ⁽²⁶⁸⁾ to the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance,

Stressing the importance and sensitivity of the activities of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,

Recalling its resolutions 48/91 of 20 December 1993 and 49/146 of 23 December 1994, by which, respectively, it proclaimed the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and adopted the revised Programme of Action for the Third Decade,

Noting with grave concern that, despite the efforts of the international community, the principal objectives of the two previous Decades for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination have not been attained and that millions of human beings continue to this day to be the victims of varied forms of racism and racial discrimination,

Noting with great concern that, despite the efforts undertaken by the international community at various levels, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, ethnic antagonism and acts of violence are showing signs of increase,

Noting with concern that the dissemination of racist and xenophobic propaganda is also being channelled through new communication technologies, including such computer networks as the Internet,

Having considered the report submitted by the Secretary-General ⁽²⁶⁹⁾ within the framework of the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade,

Firmly convinced of the need to take more effective and sustained measures at the national and international levels for the elimination of all forms of racism and racial discrimination,

Recognizing the importance of strengthening national legislation and institutions for the promotion of racial harmony,

Deeply concerned about the fact that the phenomenon of racism and racial discrimination against migrant workers continues to increase despite efforts undertaken by the international community to improve the protection of the human rights of migrant workers and members of their families,

Recalling the adoption at its forty-fifth session of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, ⁽²⁷⁰⁾

Acknowledging that indigenous people are at times victims of particular forms of racism and racial discrimination,

I

Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism
and Racial Discrimination and coordination of activities

1. Declares once again that all forms of racism and racial discrimination, whether in their institutionalized form or resulting from official doctrines of racial superiority or exclusivity, such as ethnic cleansing, are among the most serious violations of human rights in the contemporary world and must be combated by all available means;

2. Recalls with satisfaction the proclamation of the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, which began in 1993, and requests the Secretary-General to make a further review of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade with a view to making it more effective and action-oriented;

3. Urges all Governments to take all necessary measures to combat new forms of racism, in particular by adapting constantly the means provided to combat them, especially in the legislative, administrative, educational and information fields;

4. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to give a high priority to the follow-up of programmes and activities for combating racism and racial discrimination;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to accord special attention to the situation of migrant workers and members of their families and to include regularly in his reports all information on such workers;

6. Calls upon all Member States to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families as a matter of priority;

7. Commends all States that have ratified or acceded to the international instruments to combat racism and racial discrimination;

8. Encourages the mass media to promote ideas of tolerance and understanding among peoples and between different cultures;

9. Affirms its determination to combat violence stemming from intolerance on the basis of ethnicity which it considers an issue of particular gravity;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to continue the study on the effects of racial discrimination on the children of minorities, and those of migrant workers, in the fields of education, training and employment, and to submit, inter alia, specific recommendations for the implementation of measures to combat the effects of that discrimination;

11. Regrets the lack of interest, support and financial resources for the Third Decade and its related Programme of Action, reflected in the fact that very few of the activities planned for the period 1994-1997 were carried out;

12. Also regrets that the contributions made by the international community to the Trust Fund for the Programme for the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination remain below the level required and requests the Secretary-General to include in his report to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session concrete proposals on how to ensure the financial and personnel resources required for the implementation of the Programme of Action, including, inter alia, through the United Nations regular budget and extrabudgetary sources;

13. Welcomes the convening, in Geneva from 10 to 14 November 1997, of a seminar on the role of the Internet with regard to the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;

14. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-fourth session on the outcome of the two seminars held on the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade concerning migration, racism and racial discrimination and the role of the Internet with regard to the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;

15. Recommends that the activities being organized to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights include programmes targeted at combating racism and racial discrimination;

16. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to take duly into account the repeated appeals of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council for the establishment of a mechanism for coordinating all the activities of the Third Decade;

17. Considers that voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund for the Programme for the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination are indispensable for the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade;

18. Urges the Secretary-General, United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies, all Governments, intergovernmental organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations, in implementing the Programme of Action for the Third Decade, to pay particular attention to the situation of indigenous people;

19. Requests States and international organizations to consider the relevant decisions of the Economic and Social Council on the integrated follow-up to previous world conferences and the need to make optimum use of all available mechanisms in the struggle against racism;

20. Strongly underlines the importance of education as a significant means of preventing and eradicating racism and racial discrimination and of creating an awareness of principles of human rights, particularly among young people, and in this regard renews its invitation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to expedite the preparation of teaching materials and teaching aids to promote teaching, training and educational activities on human rights and against racism and racial discrimination, with particular emphasis on activities at the primary and secondary levels of education;

21. Considers that all parts of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade should be given equal attention in order to attain the objectives of the Decade;

22. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the necessary financial resources are provided for the implementation of the activities of the Third Decade during the biennium 1998-1999;

23. Also requests the Secretary-General to accord a high priority to the activities of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade;

24. Further requests the Secretary-General to submit each year to the Economic and Social Council a detailed report on all activities of United Nations bodies and the specialized agencies, containing an analysis of information received on such activities to combat racism and racial discrimination;

25. Invites the Secretary-General to submit proposals to the General Assembly with a view to supplementing, if necessary, the Programme of Action for the Third Decade;

26. Invites all Governments, United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, regional organizations and interested non-governmental organizations to participate fully in the Third Decade;

27. Strongly appeals to all Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals in a position to do so to contribute generously to the Trust Fund for the Programme for the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, and to this end requests the Secretary-General to continue to undertake appropriate contacts and initiatives to encourage contributions;

II

World conference against racism and racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance

28. Decides to convene a world conference on racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, whose main objectives will be:

(a) To review progress made in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, particularly since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to reappraise the obstacles to further progress in the field and ways to overcome them;

(b) To consider ways and means to better ensure the application of existing standards and the implementation of the existing instruments to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

(c) To increase the level of awareness about the scourges of racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

(d) To formulate concrete recommendations on ways to increase the effectiveness of the activities and mechanisms of the United Nations through programmes aimed at combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

(e) To review the political, historical, economic, social, cultural and other factors leading to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

(f) To formulate concrete recommendations to further action-oriented national, regional and international measures to combat all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

(g) To draw up concrete recommendations for ensuring that the United Nations has the financial and other necessary resources for its actions to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

29. Also decides:

(a) That the world conference on racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance will be convened not later than the year 2001;

(b) That, when the agenda of the world conference is decided, there will be a taking into consideration of, inter alia, the need to address in a comprehensive manner all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related contemporary forms of intolerance;

(c) That the world conference will be action-oriented and focus on practical measures to eradicate racism, including measures of prevention, education and protection and the provision of effective remedies, taking into full consideration the existing human rights instruments;

(d) That the Commission on Human Rights will act as the preparatory committee for the world conference on racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and that its deliberations should be open-ended, allowing for the full participation of all States Members of the United Nations, members of specialized agencies and observers, in accordance with established practice;

30. Requests Governments, the specialized agencies, other international organizations, concerned United Nations bodies, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and other human rights mechanisms to assist the preparatory committee, to undertake reviews and submit recommendations concerning the conference and the preparations therefor to the preparatory committee through the Secretary-General, and to participate actively in the conference;

31. Stresses the importance of taking systematically into account a gender perspective throughout the preparations for and the outcome of the conference;

32. Calls upon States and regional organizations to hold national or regional meetings or to take other initiatives in preparation for the world conference and requests the regional preparatory meetings to submit reports to the preparatory committee through the Secretary-General on the outcome of their deliberations, including practical and action-oriented recommendations to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

33. Decides that the world conference on racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance will be conducted effectively and efficiently and that its size, duration and other cost factors should be determined with due regard for economy;

34. Also decides to keep the item entitled "Elimination of racism and racial discrimination" in its agenda and to consider it as a matter of high priority at its fifty-third session.