Human Rights Council

Item 9: General Debate:

- Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, follow-up to and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

20 March 2018

Thank you, Mr. President,

International-Lawyers.org and Geneva International Centre for Justice are concerned about the decreasing efforts that are being put into promoting and implementing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. We are troubled by the lack of action, the misuse of resources, and the non-implementation of decisions taken by the UN General Assembly that we have witnessed in recent years from the OHCHR division that is responsible for promoting the DDPA.

We want to take this occasion to call upon the OHCHR to clarify why funds that are intended for promoting the DDPA have been appropriated and employed elsewhere, in contravention with the General Assembly decisions. Why has so little progress been made to promote and implement the DDPA by the division that has this responsibility within the OHCHR?

Today, the world is facing an increase in intolerance, xenophobic and discriminatory discourses, and hate speech in different parts of the world. Furthermore, we are equally confronted with a rise of violence and armed conflicts that are fueled by racial and ethnical reasons. In this context, an implementation of the DDPA by States and by the OHCHR is more urgent than ever. We therefore urge the High Commissioner to respond to our concerns.

Thank you