Global Efforts for the Total Elimination of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and the Comprehensive Implementation of and Follow-Up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

A/RES/63/242No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda items 62Elimination of racism and racial discrimination and 62bComprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, published in 2009.

What other versions does this mandate have?

11 versions · 2004–2014

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/68/151

2014A/RES/68/151Global efforts for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of ActionLatestCompare with previous version
2013A/RES/67/155Global efforts for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of ActionCompare with previous version
2012A/RES/66/144Global efforts for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of ActionCompare with previous version
2011A/RES/65/240Global efforts for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of ActionCompare with previous version
2010A/RES/64/148Global efforts for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of ActionCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2009.

2009A/64/309Global efforts for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

59 operative paragraphs

I.General principles

Acknowledges that no derogation from the prohibition of racial discrimination, genocide, the crime of apartheid or slavery is permitted, as defined in the obligations under the relevant human rights instruments;

Expresses its profound concern about and its unequivocal condemnation of all forms of racism and racial discrimination, including related acts of racially motivated violence, xenophobia and intolerance, as well as propaganda activities and organizations that attempt to justify or promote racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in any form;

Expresses deep concern at the attempts to establish hierarchies among emerging and resurgent forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and urges States to adopt measures to address these scourges with the same emphasis and vigour with a view to preventing this practice and protecting victims;

Stresses that States and international organizations have a responsibility to ensure that measures taken in the struggle against terrorism do not discriminate in purpose or effect on grounds of race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, and urges all States to rescind or refrain from all forms of racial profiling;

Recognizes that States should implement and enforce appropriate and effective legislative, judicial, regulatory and administrative measures to prevent and protect against acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, thereby contributing to the prevention of human rights violations;

Also recognizes that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance occur on the grounds of race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin and that victims can suffer multiple or aggravated forms of discrimination based on other related grounds, such as sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, social origin, property, birth or other status;

Reaffirms that any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law;

Emphasizes that it is the responsibility of States to adopt effective measures to combat criminal acts motivated by racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including measures to ensure that such motivations are considered an aggravating factor for the purposes of sentencing, to prevent those crimes from going unpunished and to ensure the rule of law;

Urges all States to review and, where necessary, revise their immigration laws, policies and practices so that they are free of racial discrimination and compatible with their obligations under international human rights instruments;

Calls upon all States, in accordance with the commitments undertaken in paragraph 147 of the Durban Programme of Action,1 to take all necessary measures to combat incitement to violence motivated by racial hatred, including through the misuse of print, audio-visual and electronic media and new communication technologies, and, in collaboration with service providers, to promote the use of such technologies, including the Internet, to contribute to the fight against racism, in conformity with international standards of freedom of expression and taking all necessary measures to guarantee that right;

Encourages all States to include in their educational curricula and social programmes at all levels, as appropriate, knowledge of and tolerance and respect for all cultures, civilizations, religions, peoples and countries, as well as information on the follow-up to and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action;

Stresses the responsibility of States to mainstream a gender perspective in the design and development of prevention, education and protection measures aimed at the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at all levels, to ensure that they effectively target the distinct situations of women and men;

II.International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

Reaffirms that universal adherence to and full implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination are of paramount importance for the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination, and for the promotion of equality and non-discrimination in the world;

Expresses grave concern at the fact that universal ratification of the Convention was not attained by 2005 in accordance with commitments under the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,1 and calls upon those States that have not yet done so to accede to the Convention as a matter of urgency;

Urges, in the above context, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to maintain on its website and issue regular updates on a list of countries that have not yet ratified the Convention and to encourage such countries to ratify it at the earliest;

Expresses its concern at the serious delays in the submission of overdue reports to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which impedes the effectiveness of the Committee, makes a strong appeal to all States parties to the Convention to comply with their treaty obligations, and reaffirms the importance of the provision of technical assistance to the requesting countries in the preparation of their reports to the Committee;

Invites States parties to the Convention to ratify the amendment to article 8 of the Convention on the financing of the Committee, and calls for adequate additional resources from the regular budget of the United Nations to enable the Committee to discharge its mandate fully;

Urges all States parties to the Convention to intensify their efforts to implement the obligations that they have accepted under article 4 of the Convention, with due regard to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 5 of the Convention;

Recalls that the Committee holds that the prohibition of the dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or racial hatred is compatible with the right to freedom of opinion and expression as outlined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in article 5 of the Convention;

Welcomes the emphasis placed by the Committee on the importance of follow-up to the World Conference and the measures recommended to strengthen the implementation of the Convention as well as the functioning of the Committee;

III.Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

Expresses its appreciation for the commitment of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to contribute to the successful outcome of the Durban Review Conference, including her appeal to all Member States and other stakeholders to participate in the Durban Review Conference;

Acknowledges that the outcome of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance is on an equal footing with the outcomes of all the major United Nations conferences, summits and special sessions in the human rights and social fields;

Also acknowledges that the World Conference, which was the third world conference against racism, was significantly different from the previous two conferences, as evidenced by the inclusion in its title of two important components relating to contemporary forms of racism, namely, xenophobia and related intolerance;

Emphasizes that the basic responsibility for effectively combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance lies with States, and to this end stresses that States have the primary responsibility to ensure full and effective implementation of all commitments and recommendations contained in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action;1

Reaffirms its commitment to eliminating all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of related intolerance against indigenous peoples, and in this regard notes the attention paid to the objectives of combating prejudice and eliminating discrimination and promoting tolerance, understanding and good relations among indigenous peoples and all other segments of society in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

Emphasizes the fundamental and complementary role of national human rights institutions, regional bodies or centres and civil society, working jointly with States towards the achievement of the objectives of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action;

Welcomes the steps taken by numerous Governments, in particular the elaboration and implementation of national action plans to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and steps taken by national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations, towards the full implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and affirms this trend as a demonstration of commitment to the elimination of all scourges of racism at the national level;

Calls upon all States that have not yet elaborated their national action plans on combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to comply with their commitments undertaken at the World Conference;

Calls upon all States to formulate and implement without delay, at the national, regional and international levels, policies and plans of action to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including their gender-based manifestations;

Welcomes the adoption of the laudable initiative led by the States members of the Caribbean Community and other Member States for the establishment of a permanent memorial at the United Nations to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as a contribution towards the fulfilment of paragraph 101 of the Durban Declaration, expresses its appreciation for contributions made to the voluntary fund established in this regard, and urges other countries to contribute to the fund;

Urges States to support the activities of existing regional bodies or centres that combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in their respective regions, and recommends the establishment of such bodies in all regions where they do not exist;

Recognizes the fundamental role of civil society in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, in particular in assisting States to develop regulations and strategies, in taking measures and action against such forms of discrimination and through follow-up implementation;

Reaffirms that the General Assembly is the highest intergovernmental mechanism for the formulation and appraisal of policy on matters relating to the economic, social and related fields, in accordance with Assembly resolution 50/227 of 24 May 1996, and that, together with the Human Rights Council, it shall constitute an intergovernmental process for the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and further reaffirms that the Council shall continue to have a central role in the follow-up to the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action within the United Nations system;

Expresses its appreciation for the continuing work of the mechanisms mandated to follow up the World Conference, bearing in mind the assessment of the effectiveness of those mechanisms to be undertaken at the Durban Review Conference;

Acknowledges Human Rights Council resolution 9/14 of 24 September 2008, by which the Council decided to extend for three years the mandate of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent;

Takes note of the convening of the first part of the first session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards from 11 to 21 February 2008, and requests the Ad Hoc Committee to comply with the mandate contained in Human Rights Council decision 3/103;5

Acknowledges the centrality of resource mobilization, effective global partnership and international cooperation in the context of paragraphs 157 and 158 of the Durban Programme of Action for the successful realization of commitments undertaken at the World Conference, and to this end emphasizes the importance of the mandate of the group of independent eminent experts on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, especially in mobilizing the necessary political will for the successful implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide the necessary resources for the effective fulfilment of the mandates of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, the group of independent eminent experts on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards;

Expresses its concern at the increasing incidence of racism in various sporting events, while noting with appreciation the efforts made by some governing bodies of the various sporting codes to combat racism, and in this regard invites all international sporting bodies to promote, through their national, regional and international federations, a world of sport free from racism and racial discrimination;

Welcomes, in this context, the initiative of the Fédération internationale de football association to introduce a visible theme on non-racism in football, and invites the Fédération to continue with this initiative at the 2010 soccer World Cup tournament to be held in South Africa;

Calls upon those States that have not yet done so to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the instruments enumerated in paragraph 78 of the Durban Programme of Action, including the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families of 1990;

IV.Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and follow-up to his visits

Expresses its appreciation for the work done by the former Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and welcomes Human Rights Council resolution 7/34 of 28 March 2008, by which the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years;

Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Special Rapporteur, and encourages Member States and other relevant stakeholders to consider implementing the recommendations contained in his report;

Reiterates its call to all Member States, intergovernmental organizations, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur, and calls upon States to consider responding favourably to his requests for visits so as to enable him to fulfil his mandate fully and effectively;

Recognizes with deep concern the increase in anti-Semitism, Christianophobia and Islamophobia in various parts of the world, as well as the emergence of racial and violent movements based on racism and discriminatory ideas directed against Arab, Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as all religious communities, communities of people of African descent, communities of people of Asian descent, communities of indigenous people and other communities;

Encourages closer collaboration between the Special Rapporteur and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in particular the Anti-Discrimination Unit;

Urges the High Commissioner to provide States, at their request, with advisory services and technical assistance to enable them to implement fully the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the human and financial assistance necessary to carry out his mandate efficiently, effectively and expeditiously and to enable him to submit a report to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session;

Requests the Special Rapporteur to continue giving particular attention to the negative impact of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance on the full enjoyment of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights by national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, immigrant populations, asylum-seekers and refugees;

Invites Member States to demonstrate greater commitment to fighting racism in sport by conducting educational and awareness-raising activities and by strongly condemning the perpetrators of racist incidents, in cooperation with national and international sports organizations;

V.Convening of the Durban Review Conference

Welcomes the reports of the Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference on its organizational session2 and its first3 and second4 substantive sessions, and endorses the decisions contained therein;

Calls upon all Member States to participate in the Durban Review Conference;

Expresses its appreciation for the convening of the regional preparatory meeting for the Durban Review Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean in Brasilia from 17 to 19 June 2008 and the regional preparatory meeting for Africa in Abuja from 24 to 26 August 2008;

Takes note of the contributions by Member States, regional groups and all other relevant stakeholders consistent with the objectives of the Durban Review Conference, in accordance with decision PC.1/10 of the Preparatory Committee;2

Reaffirms that the Durban Review Conference will be undertaken on the basis of and with full respect for the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action1 and that there will be no renegotiation of the existing agreements therein, and that the issues raised will be in conformity with the contents of the Declaration and Programme of Action;

Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to undertake initiatives to encourage contributions to the voluntary fund established pursuant to decision PC.1/12 of the Preparatory Committee,2 including the decision to appeal for contributions from extrabudgetary resources to cover the costs of participation of representatives of the least developed countries in the Durban Review Conference;

VI.General

Recommends that the meetings of the Human Rights Council focusing on the follow-up to the World Conference and the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action1 be scheduled in a manner that allows broad participation and that avoids overlap with the meetings devoted to the consideration of this item in the General Assembly;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report with recommendations on the implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session;

Decides to remain seized of this important matter at its sixty-fourth session under the item entitled “Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”.

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