Transcript of Q&A session after Secretary-General's address at NGO Forum, (unofficial transcript)

Lady spoke in Spanish.

SG: Thank you very much for the statement I hope everyone heard her and you heard the translation or interpretation.

Basically, what she is saying is that the rights of indigenous people must be recognised. They must be recognised as a people to be able to project and insist on their rights and that this Conference should finally recognise them as people, as a group, without any hesitation, without any question or any brackets around the word peoples.

From Mauritania (in French)

SG: I think the issue of reparation has to be raised here as something that the delegates are going to discuss. I don't think anyone in this hall condones the wounds and the ills of the past and we have made it clear that one has to acknowledge that those things have happened.

Reparation is a much more complex issue but of course, as I said, it will be an issue that will be discussed here. It has legal implications, it has judicial implications and I'm not sure that it is an issue that one can expect to be taken up and settled here at this Conference. But obviously it is an issue that has consumed substantial hours in the preparation of this meeting and will be discussed.

I think a society can that has been wounded can forgive but that forgiveness cannot be expected as a matter of right. And I think what is important at this Conference is for us not only to come and resolve to deal with racism and xenophobia and discrimination and the welfare of people, as you have discussed in your own opening statement, and come up with concrete plan of action and declaration that will help governments deal with racism.

We have situations today which cannot be tolerated or condoned.

We have trafficking in human beings, we have situations akin to slavery, we have discrimination and xenophobia of all types and I've given you a list of groups who are victims. And we should leave this Conference determined to tackle those issues. We should not only deal with the issues of today but be forward-looking and set in place mechanisms that would ensure that the vulnerable groups, including the African Americans that you speak for, are protected and are not victims of racism and xenophobia.

From Palestine: Your Excellency, Kader Shirkat [shouts from audience and then inaudible]

Mr. General Secretary, your Excellency, as you know the Palestinian probably, colonial the Palestinian colonial issue is the last issue in the world.

And the UN in different and the UN in its different resolutions, General Assembly resolutions, considered it the right of the [inaudible] Palestinian people and the right of the Palestinians to return to their own homes.

And the UN does not recognise [inaudible] and does not acknowledge the annexation of the Palestinian occupied territories.

Your Excellency, can you explain me, how come that is the UN realise [inaudible] to implement its decisions and resolutions.

And how come, please to explain me, the UN marginalising and neutralising itself when it comes to the Palestinian issue.

And how comes that is the UN is replacing the UN resolutions and relying on the American reports like Mitchell report?

SG: I think the UN's position on the crisis in the Middle East is very clear. And in your own statement you alluded to UN resolutions, and I trust you were referring particularly to Resolution 338 and 242, the basis of which is land for peace. And we have continued to encourage negotiations and dialogue between the parties and I myself have been in touch and I'm in constant contact with all the parties on the ground and beyond, with the European Union, the Russians, the Americans. And this afternoon I'll be discussing this issue with your leader Chairman Arafat. And I think the UN position on this is clear. There has to be a solution, a political solution. We do not see a military resolution. And it has to be based on land for peace.

Secondly, on the question of the Mitchell report. The Mitchell report was an outcome of the Sharm El Sheik Conference where it was agreed that President Clinton, in consultation with me, should set up a committee, a Sharm El Sheik committee, to explore what measures could be taken to end the violence in the region.

Quite honestly, when we met last Fall I don't think any one of us expected the violence to continue till today.

The Mitchell report therefore came up with very sensible and constructive and workable proposals to get the parties back to the table.

The idea here was ceasefire, cooling off the area, confidence building measures and then negotiations at the table.

At the table I expect the negotiations to be based on the land for peace concept, on the UN resolutions, and therefore we are not substituting the Mitchell report for the basic UN resolutions that govern the conflict.

Dalit from India: Thank you, Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan, and others. I have been representing the dalit in the country and also stating that the discrimination affecting nearly 200 million peoples geographically, covering countries of Asia, Africa, Europe who have been discriminated on the basis of work.

And [inaudible] based caste discrimination does not find itself represented either in the list of victims or listing of sources of discrimination or even the listing of sources of multiple discrimination in the draft declaration or the programme of action for the world Conference. I take this occasion to demand therefore that all efforts be made to include dalits in the list of victims and caste into source of discrimination of work and [inaudible].

I hope our demands will be carried forward.

SG: That was a statement not a question.

(In response to shouts from audience) You've had your say, sit down.

Silence, silence.

Listen, we've come here to listen to each other not to behave the way you're doing.

Your leader, the person who has spoken in your name made a statement and appealed to the delegations who are going to be discussing this issue to ensure that your issue is on the agenda.

The Secretary-General of the Conference is here and I think that's very clear.

He made a statement He did not ask a question. And I heard him and everybody heard him.

There is no need for you as a mature person to stand up and scream.

Let's have dialogue. Let's have serious dialogue.

Let's listen to each other and respect each other. I listened to you very carefully. The message will be passed on. Let's turn on to the next speaker.

From the Caribbean: On behalf of the people of the Caribbean who managed to come to this Conference we want to say that we welcome the Conference and we also want to say that the Caribbean is a product of racism and intolerance and the population bears the scars of slavery either directly as the disenfranchised indigenous people, the displaced Africans and the displaced Indian indentured workers as well as the oppressors.

I want to ask the Secretary-General why is it that more effort wasn't made to mobilise and to support the people of the Caribbean to participate in this Conference because those of us who are here, we are here purely by our own efforts, extreme efforts and we are very under-represented at this Conference.

Can I have a response from the Secretary-General and an assurance that we will be considered and assisted to participate in the reviews of the outcome of this Conference.

SG: I think ... I don't have all the details but all governments were invited and all NGOs were also invited to participate.

I think some of you got assistance to get here and I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through the struggle that you had to get here.

But the fact that you are here despite the difficulties is for me a statement and very encouraging because it shows the importance you attach to this issue and that you would do everything to come here to make sure your voices are heard.

I hope that as we take up the discussions here, that you and your group will have a chance to participate and also play a role in the follow-up after the Conference.

As I said earlier, what is important is what we do after the Conference not the declaration or the papers which are adopted here.

Yes, they are important, they will have provided a general framework, but when we go home we should all be energised and take on the fight. So let me thank you for coming here, let me thank you for the efforts you made to get here and I urge you to stay engaged and keep up the fight when you get home.

Irish Traveller: Just like to say we appreciate the chance to make a comment and thanks for giving us the time and space.

My name is Catherine Joyce and I work with an Irish organisation which is a national organisation representing travellers throughout the country of Ireland. And yesterday we were given a chance to talk to the Roma Conference about the experience of Irish travellers.

Also we heard about the experience of gypsies and Roma across the world.

We would like to say that the issue of gypsies, Roma, across the world needs to be addressed and it needs to be effectively addressed.

That needs to be done in consultation with those involved.

As a woman the intersection between gender and race oppression is very obvious.

And in order for that to be dealt with this Conference to ensure that any documentation issued looks at the gender dimension to all of the aspects of what goes on today.

As Europeans we've come a long way in terms of putting racism on the agenda but we've a long way to go in terms of addressing it. And in order to do it we need the might of NGOs, governments, of the Human Rights Commission and of the UN to [inaudible]and we hope that there will be a race unit developed maybe through the Human Rights Commission and that in that we would all, as NGOs and governments, participate in the development of that.

SG: Thank you very much for your comment and I must say we do expect this Conference to address all forms of discrimination and some of the issues you've raised are of great importance to us. Also at the UN and in my own travels through Central Europe, I've met with the Roma and I have received their leadership at UN headquarters.

Question from Sylvia Diaz from Paraguay (in Spanish)

SG: I think the groups you've referred to are all represented here at this Conference and at the UN we have a group for the indigenous people that meet with very regularly to discuss issues of concern to them and I'm happy that each one of the group you are listing is here participating in this Conference and I expect the delegates to take their concerns and issues very, very seriously at this Conference. Thank you.

Reed Brody from Human Rights Watch: Hello, Mr. Secretary-General. Victims from around the world expect more than empty words from this Conference.

They expect action. The Rio Conference in 1992 was a watershed and led to important legislation to protect the environment.

The Vienna Conference in 1995 led to the creation of the position of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

What will be the lasting effect of Durban. You spoke just now very eloquently about the importance of implementation and follow-up, yet when we look at the more than 250 paragraphs of the plan of action there's almost nothing on follow-up.

No new money to combat racism, no new programmes to combat racism. It's even unclear at this point whether there will be any official follow-up, whether the United Nations or the High Commissioner or anyone else will be reviewing or monitoring the commitments made here.

So my question is, what would you like to see in terms of concrete follow-up.

Would you like to see the United Nations, the High Commissioner involved in some way in monitoring the implementation of the commitments that are made here? Thank you.

SG: I see Reed you've struck a chord.

Let me say that I would also want to see implementation and this is something that we've been pressing for some time.

You will recall particularly the Millennium Summit and the Millennium Declaration - we insisted that the important thing is not the Conference, the important thing is not the declaration but the follow-up action and that it is incumbent on each government to walk away from the Conference and go home determined to do something about discrimination and racism.

But we cannot leave it to them alone. I want you civil society and NGOs to stay engaged, I want the private sector to stay engaged.

I want us to work with them in partnership to make sure it happens.

But the document that comes out of here can he helpful if it is properly structured with the right benchmarks. It can be a common framework that would allow all of us to press governments for action.

And I think Mrs Robinson, the Secretary-General of the Conference who's here with me, has also listened to your plea, which I share. And during the Conference we will try and make sure that we get a document that is competent, that is workable, and has achievable benchmarks.

But what is important is to be able to monitor and follow through and here your role as well as my role is important.

I have insisted that we should all work in partnership and I hope we will leave here with some ideas of what needs to be done.

I hope in some situations governments can use it to refine their legislation, they can use it to set up national mechanisms and you will press them in doing that and I on my side will also continue to monitor and speak up, but we need that document.

I don't know Mary if you want to add a word or two.

Mrs Robinson: Thank you Secretary-General. I will just add that our office has already taken steps to develop an anti-discrimination and follow-up unit.

But I do agree with Reed Brody. We need very specific measures to be committed to and I hope that the programme of action will require every country to adopt a national plan against racist discrimination and that each of you in your own countries can pin to that national plan.

That will be the vital thing. *****