General Debate under Agenda Item:9 - Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, follow-up to and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

2 July 2018

Joint statement by: International-Lawyers.Org and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ)

Thank you, Mr. President,

Our organisations would like to emphasizes the importance of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action against Racism and Discrimination as the centre piece of United Nations policy on this issue.  

With that said, we believe that the Durban Declaration is also the centre piece of Nelson Mandela’s legacy and the legacy of South Africa. We hold that efforts to belittle it, or distract focus away from it are an insult to this important legacy and should not be tolerated.

In addition, we would like to point out to the fact that some States have failed to effectively implement this Declaration, thereby failing to contribute to the complete elimination of discrimination from its deep roots.

International Lawyer.org and Geneva International Centre for Justice urge the Council to unequivocally reiterate its commitment to the Durban Declaration in its words and in its deeds. Additionally, we believe that an effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action into national legislation of each State is crucial for continuing with the efforts required for the elimination of societal and institutional discrimination reflected in hatred, societal behaviour, and incitement, thereby guaranteeing the realisation of human rights for all, without any form of distinction.

Thank you,