The 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council

General Debate on Item 9:

 Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance

Joint statement by International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN) and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ)

By Patricia Jjuuko / GICJ

Mr President,

We welcome the opportunity to participate in this important panel to observe the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

As ICERD was the first international convention to complement the two covenants its adoption and entry into force demonstrate the centrality of fighting racism for the achievement of all human rights for all.

We want to express our appreciation for the lead role of African and Caribbean states in the initiative to start the negotiations for the convention. Implementation of ICERD can not be seen in isolation from implementing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. It should be stressed that CERD has adopted two general recomendations stressing the importance of DDPA implementation and the need for DDPA to be disseminated. In its country concluding observations CERD regularly request states to provide specific information on their implementation of DDPA.

In this regard we find the tendency disturbing in some General Assembly resolutions related to the International Decade for People of African Descent to create a contradiction between ICERD and DDPA by reaffirming ICERD and not reaffirming DDPA. Such tendency is in direct contradiction of good faith implementation of ICERD and CERD positions and militates against the Programme of Activities of the International Decade for People of African Descent.

Undermining the DDPA means undermining ICERD. They firmly belong together in the global combat against racism.