Children – Third Cttee debate – Press release (excerpts)

RIGHTS OF CHILDREN, RACISM, PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS WHILE COMBATTING TERRORISM AMONG ISSUES ADDRESSED IN TEXTS APPROVED BY THIRD COMMITTEE

Decides to Take No Action on Draft Concerning Role of Parents

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Action on Texts

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The Committee had before it a draft resolution on the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (document A/C.3/58/L.34).  The draft would have the General Assembly urge all States to review and revise their immigration laws, policies and practices to make them free of racial discrimination and compatible with their obligations under international human rights instruments.  The General Assembly would further condemn the misuse of print, audio-visual and electronic media, and new communications technologies, including the Internet, to incite violence motivated by racial hatred, and would call on States to take all necessary measures to combat this form of racism.  It would further condemn political platforms and organizations based on racism, xenophobia or doctrines of racial superiority.

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The Committee approved operative paragraph 31 in a vote of 105 in favour to 40 against, with 8 abstentions (Armenia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Lichtenstein, Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway) (Annex VIII).

The Committee then approved the entire draft resolution in a vote of 155 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 2 abstentions (Australia, Canada)( Annex IX).

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The representative of Israel said her delegation had voted against the draft because of the events which transpired at the Durban conference, which did a great disservice to those who it might have benefited.  Israel regretted that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was repeatedly invoked at the Conference and wished to reiterate that the conflict was not a racial conflict, but a political conflict, whose discussion had no place in a conference for addressing racial discrimination issues.  It was because of its opposition to racism that Israel could not support the outcome of the Durban Conference.

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ANNEX VIII

Vote on Op Para 31/Conference against Racism

Operative paragraph 31 of the draft resolution on the World Conference against Racism (document A/C.3/58/L.34) was retained by a recorded vote of 105 in favour to 40 against, with 8 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.

Abstain:  Armenia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine.

Absent:  Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Moldova, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu.

ANNEX IX

Vote on World Conference against Racism

The draft resolution on the World Conference against Racism (document A/C.3/58/L.34) was approved by a recorded vote of 155 in favour to 2 against, with 2 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Israel, United States.

Abstain:  Australia, Canada.

Absent:  Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, Honduras, Iraq, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Moldova, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu.

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