COUNCIL CONCLUDES GENERAL DEBATE ON RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE

The Human Rights Council this morning concluded its general debate on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance.

The Council started the general debate on Monday, 27 June and the summary can be read here.

In the general debate, speakers noted that xenophobia and the spread of violent incidents motivated by racism and racial discrimination were placing a heavy burden on cohesion in some societies. The rising trends of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, which had evolved into serious and concrete threats to global peace and social harmony, must be urgently and effectively addressed, they said. Delegations were especially concerned about discrimination and xenophobia against refugees, migrants and people of African descent, in particular the rise of institutionalised discrimination through the activities of law enforcement and negative statements by politicians.

It was the duty of regional and global actors to wipe out the very existence of ISIS and its extremist and xenophobic ideology which was threatening to erase Christians, Yazidis and other minorities from the Middle East, speakers said. They urged the Council to open an impartial international investigation into human rights violations committed in Yemen and work toward ending the discriminatory practices by the Saudi-led Coalition. Speakers called upon the international community to follow up on the commitments in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and prioritise the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, particularly its new forms, and noted that the existing international legal instruments needed to be improved in order to better tackle new forms of racism.

South Africa on behalf of the African Group, Algeria, China, Portugal, Venezuela, India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Armenia, United States, Council of Europe, Greece, Pakistan, Iran, and Sudan spoke in the general debate.

Also speaking were the following non-governmental organizations: The Palestinian Return Centre Ltd, World Jewish Congress, International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (joint statement), Arab Commission for Human Rights, International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (joint statement), Indigenous People of Africa Coordinating Committee, International Educational Development, Inc., United Schools International, International Association of Democracy in Africa, Centre for Environmental and Management Studies, Canners International Permanent Committee, World Environment and Resources Council, Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, Commission africaine des promoteurs de la santé et des droits de l’homme, British Humanist Association, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association, Verein Sudwind Entwicklungspolitik, Iraqi Development Organization, World Muslim Congress, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, Alsalam Foundation, World Barua Organization, Liberation, International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations, Pasuami Thaayagam Foundation, Rencontre Africaine pour la défense des droits de l’homme, Association solidarité internationale pour l’Afrique, Prahar, Association Bharathi Centre Culturel Franco-Tamoul, International-Lawyers.Org, Association des étudiants tamouls de France, Servas International, China NGO Network for International Exchange, European Union of Jewish Students, Conseil international pour le soutien à des procès équitables et aux Droits de l’Homme, Khiam Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture, and Auspice Stella.

Speaking in right of reply were Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia.

The Council is holding a full day of meetings today. Next, it will hold separate interactive dialogues with the Independent Expert on the Central African Republic and the Independent Expert on Côte d’Ivoire.

General Debate on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Forms of Intolerance

South Africa, speaking on behalf of the African Group, noted with concern that women and girls belonging to certain communities remained vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and abuse. All States should combat the scourge of racism and the African Group called up on the international community to follow up on its commitments contained in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and prioritise the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, particularly its new forms.

Algeria said that xenophobia and the spread of violent incidents motivated by racism and racial discrimination were placing a heavy burden on cohesion in some societies and stressed the importance of appropriately addressing negative statements by politicians against refugees, migrants and people of African descent. There must be an improvement in the existing international legal instruments in order to better tackle new forms of racism.

China said that racism was a main cause of current conflicts and terrorist activities and that, despite the improvement in the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance were still lingering in the United States and some European countries. Racial discrimination in the judicial area in the United States was becoming more serious, and in Europe hatred against Roma had existed for a long time, and anti-migrant and anti-refugee rhetoric was on the rise.

Portugal noted that the fight against racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia continued to demand encompassing strategies, involving States, civil society and the international community. Only such combined efforts and actions could lead to the successful implementation of the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action. The 2030 Agenda rightly pointed the way to a sustainable development anchored in inclusiveness and equality for all.

Venezuela restated its deep commitment to fighting racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. It voiced concern over the resurgence of extremist groups and neo-Nazi political parties in many countries worldwide, as well as the increase in the number of hateful, racist and xenophobic messages in the context of the migration crisis in Europe. Urgent measures should be taken by the international community to deal with this situation.

India noted that racism went against the basic grain of ancient Indian philosophy, which considered the whole world as one family. It was unfortunate that in the twenty-first century, attitudes, habits and thought processes of a bygone era continued to foment racial hatred and segregation. That was creating a vast divide in many countries and an increase in the number of racist incidents.

Saudi Arabia said that all forms of discrimination were prohibited in the Koran and that was why Saudi Arabia had ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and had ratified other conventions addressing various forms of discrimination and was implementing them, as long as they did not contradict Sharia. Blasphemy against Islam was racism and Saudi Arabia noted the rise of Islamophobia in some countries, with the participation and complicity of the media.

Egypt stressed the need to combat racism which was emerging in modern and new forms, particularly in Western societies and against Arabs and Muslims living in those societies. This called into question the democratic values of those societies. Racist acts sometimes took on institutional forms through law enforcement practices and political activities, with racist political parties gaining popularity and even winning elections. It was important to prohibit those parties and activities and the new forms of racism and racial discrimination.

Turkey stressed the need to urgently and effectively address the rising trends of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism which had evolved into serious and concrete threats to global peace and social harmony. Of special concern was xenophobia against migrants and refugees. Turkey called upon the international community to deploy all available legal means to prevent any form of discrimination against migrants, and to work together in promoting a culture of tolerance.

Armenia expressed concern over the rise of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia in its region. It deplored the racial discourse and xenophobia which accompanied the politics negation by Turkey, which consisted of intimidation and stigmatization of all those who recognized the Armenian genocide. Likewise, the politics of hate and discrimination against Armenians which had been conducted by Azerbaijan had regularly called for the attention of the Council.

United States stated that for women of colour, racial discrimination could have a compounding effect on a range of concerns, including participation and protection in the workplace. Between 2010 and 2015, the United States had seen an increase in the employment of women of colour in management occupations. Despite that progress, women of colour continued to face discrimination in the workplace and they earned less than white, non-Hispanic men.

Council of Europe stated that enhanced cooperation was vital as progress in the fight against racism and intolerance was often the result of combined actions of international organizations. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance stood ready to continue cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on racism in that area. The international community had to be unapologetic in its efforts to fight hate speech and promote tolerance and inclusion.

Greece said that it had recently adopted a new law with a view to strengthening the existing criminal anti-racism legislation and adjusting it to the relevant European Union Council Framework Decision. Additionally, the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance had been set as a top priority for Greece’s first national action plan on human rights.

Pakistan said that the international community was confronted with manifestations of xenophobia and related intolerance and that this constituted a major form of racism against migrants and refugees. An increase in such acts was fast making the world less respectful of each other’s rights. There was an increase of anti-Muslim sentiment, and Islamophobia was getting more aggressive.

Iran said that in some countries, a growing trend of Islamophobia had translated into public opinion that saw Islam as inherently opposed to the values of democracy and secularism. Muslims, migrants and other minorities were facing systematic and politically guided xenophobic, discriminatory treatment that was forbidden in international human rights law.

Sudan said that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action had recognized that xenophobia was the root cause of discrimination and conflict, and that it required urgent work by the international community to combat it. It was quite disturbing to witness in some countries the rise of xenophobia and discrimination against refugees fleeing conflicts. This phenomenon could only be addressed by working together to combat xenophobia and strengthening the legal framework which protected diversity.

The Palestinian Return Centre Ltd said that the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories continued to suffer racism by Israel. Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip suffered systematic discrimination because of their race, ethnicity and national origins. The most important immigration laws of Israel privileged Jews and Jewish immigration over non-Jews, even if they had no connection to Israel.

World Jewish Congress said that the growing wave of anti-Semitism was particularly prevalent on the Internet, which was a platform used to preach intolerance and hatred towards minorities. The hate speech of today had found access to vast audiences on online platforms and social networks, while the anonymity of perpetrators rendered the challenge of holding them accountable even greater.

International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, on behalf of severals NGOs¹, regretted the silence on the importance of the Durban Declaration, whose implementation was urgent in the alarming situation of escalating racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and Afrophobia. It called on the Council at its next session to develop a multi-year programme of activities to provide for the renewed and strengthened outreach activities needed to inform and mobilize the global public in support of the Durban Declaration.

Arab Commission for Human Rights endorsed the recommendations of the workshop and of the Special Rapporteur’s report, particularly the role of education in fighting racism and xenophobia. However, it was unfortunate that the report did not refer to the racism suffered by peoples under colonial rule and indigenous peoples. The systematic discrimination of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories and Israel’s apartheid regime were deplorable.

International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, in a joint statement with International-Lawyers.Org, expressed outrage at the dramatic increase of violence against migrants in Europe, and the rise of Islamophobic speeches used by extremist political parties. It was also concerned about the deprivation suffered by the Palestinians due to Israeli policies of segregation and apartheid. It found unacceptable that additional funding provided by the General Assembly for combatting racism was being diverted to other priority areas.

Indigenous People of Africa Coordinating Committee said a democratic country like India could not enact a law against people in a particular area. India was starting a process to build dams without the informed consent of affected indigenous people. The Human Rights Council was urged to communicate with India to encourage the country to review environmental clearance for the construction of mega dams.

International Educational Development, Inc. presented four elements of racist regimes to define them in the context of international law. Those elements included acts of violence against ethnically different groups over time, and continual acts of hostility by Governments against attempts to address the situation of the affected people, such as was currently occurring in Sri Lanka, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and “Burma/Myanmar”.

United Schools International spoke about ISIS and the efforts of Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, in response. As more countries confronted how terrorist groups could be countered, the short-term, reductionist approach focused on military force had proved ineffective. Local governments needed to take the lead in designing solutions, with strong support from the international community.

International Association of Democracy in Africa expressed concern that the Islamic State could wipe out Christianity from the Middle East as it drove millions from their homes across the region. It was the duty of the regional and global actors to wipe out the very existence of ISIS. The United Arab Emirates had been playing a positive role as it extended cooperation to the international coalition forces fighting against ISIS extremists.

Centre for Environmental and Management Studies said that one of the typical manifestations of totalitarianism was violent planting of ideology and xenophobia, and said that the ideology of the self-proclaimed Islamic State had become a clear manifestation of such xenophobia. Islamic State seriously threatened the people of Iraq and Syria, and the Middle East in general. The United Arab Emirates played a very active role in the campaign against ISIS.

Canners International Permanent Committee said that ISIS could be defeated militarily by the international coalition that was being formed now. The United Arab Emirates had announced its full support for the international efforts to combat the terrorism of ISIS on the condition that such efforts were led by the United States.

World Environment and Resources Council drew attention to thousands of Christian and Yazidi women in Iraq and Syria who had been brutalized by ISIS militants. Women and girls were brought with price tags for the buyers to choose and negotiate the sale. Despite progress made in the international women’s rights movement, women and girls around the world were still married as children or trafficked into forced labour and sex slavery.

Commission to Study the Organization of Peace reminded that the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria had concluded that ISIS had been committing genocide against the Yazidis in Syria. The condition of Yazidi women was deplorable after they had been subjected to the worst possible forms of abuse. The international community should extend the existing measures to wipe out the ISIS threat and ensure that the human rights of the Yazidis were protected.

Commission africaine des promoteurs de la santé et des droits de l’homme expressed hope that a permanent forum on the affairs of persons of African descent would be created at the United Nations, which would promote strategic cooperation among African nations and inter-cultural exchange among African peoples and persons of African descent. Despite the efforts taken so far, millions of persons still continued to be victims of racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.

British Humanist Association expressed commitment to the building of a more open, free and equal society, but noted that refugees and migrants were being met with attacks from far-right activists. Populist politics and xenophobia were on the rise; in Hungary, the Government had constructed a razor-wire wall at its border with Serbia, and concern was expressed over related developments in Russia, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.

International Humanist and Ethical Union, in association with the International Dalit Solidarity network, spoke about caste-based discrimination, saying that despite all the work to be done on the issue, the United Nations Committee on Non-governmental Organizations had deferred the latter organization’s application for status with the Economic and Social Council for the eighteenth time. The Council was urged to reform the manner in which non-governmental organizations were accredited with Economic and Social Council status.

Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association spoke about the region of Tripura in India where huge numbers of illegal immigrants had entered the area at a certain time, and as a result thousands of indigenous people had been killed in the armed conflict. The indigenous people had lost their lands, forests and identity and lived under the government of migrants. The Human Rights Council was asked to send a committee to visit India and examine the situation.

Verein Sudwind Entwicklungspolitik said that among the largest groups of immigrants to Europe were Afghans from Afghanistan and Iran, who fled the unrest in Afghanistan and discrimination and hate speeches by authorities in Iran. Afghani children in Iran suffered the lack of educational possibilities, but this problem would be solved with the new regulations.

Iraqi Development Organization was seriously concerned about the situation in Yemen, where people suffered racial discrimination at the hands of the Saudi-led coalition. There were no suitable solutions to internal displacement. The Human Rights Council should open an impartial international investigation into all human rights violations committed in Yemen and work toward ending the discriminatory practices by the Coalition.

World Muslim Congress said that due to racial discrimination, disadvantaged groups such as Dalits in India failed to access their basic human rights such as education, health and housing. Dalits in India lived in constant fear of violence, sexual violence and harassment by the upper Hindu caste. The Council should take concrete steps to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance against Dalits.

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain expressed concern about the ongoing racism in the official Saudi discourse against the Shia minority. Saudi Arabia was increasing its hate speech and xenophobia, which was not only practiced by Sunni clerics, but also by high-ranking members of the royal family. Shia activists were sentenced to harsh punishments, such as imprisonment and lashing.

Alsalam Foundation expressed concern over the increasing cases of discrimination against persons of African descent in Bahrain. The phenomenon of slavery in that region was still persistent. Persons of African descent did not occupy senior positions, and they faced discrimination in marriage and in economic, social and cultural life. The organization called on the Government of Bahrain to redouble its efforts to honour the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

World Barua Organization drew attention to the unfavourable and discriminatory treatment of Dalits in India. Members of that caste were Christians and Buddhists, and they faced various forms of discrimination in the sector of health, education and all other spheres of public life. The organization called on the Council to influence the Government of India to stop such discrimination.

Liberation said that practices of racial discrimination were being committed in India, despite the fact that discrimination was prohibited in the country. Honour killings occurred among couples when one of them was Dalit; 80 per cent of the victims were female and not a single killer had been brought to book. The Third Committee through the Human Rights Council was urged to examine racial and hate crimes against Dalits in India.

International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations said that militarization had severe negative impacts on education in Indian-occupied Kashmir, and that girls were more vulnerable to the adverse consequences of that. The Human Rights Council was urged to call on the Indian Government to end its policy of caste-based discrimination and profiling of Kashmiris in mainland India.

Pasumai Thaayagam Foundation said that if the new Government of Sri Lanka was serious about implementing resolution 30/1 on accountability for mass atrocities which it had co-sponsored in 2015, it had to start doing “the hard work” with the Sinhala electorate. If it continued taking superficial steps to alleviate the pressure of the international community, the current opportunity would be washed away by a tide of Sinhala nationalist mobilisation.

Rencontre Africaine pour la défense des droits de l’homme said that in the international context marked by identity crisis, the rise of fundamentalism, hatred, intolerance, humiliation and exclusion, it was time to cultivate a pedagogy of cultural diversity, self-esteem and respect, in order to bring an end to the darkness of racism. Speech could heal and it could kill.

Association solidarité internationale pour l’Afrique said that Tamil in Sri Lanka were suffering many forms of systematic discrimination and was concerned about the continuation of the Sri Lanka war against Eelam Tamils, as evidenced by the targeting of the civilians by armed forces, extra-judicial executions, torture, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and indefinite detention of Tamil civilians.

Prahar said that among the most vulnerable sections of a society were older people, persons with disabilities, women and children, and stressed that the elderly needed the best attention. In India, the elderly from the minority sections like the people of the north-east, who were already marginalized, suffered even more.

Association Bharathi Centre Culturel Franco-Tamoul noted that since 1948 the Tamil nation in Sri Lanka had been subjected to racial abuses, ethnic cleansing and structural genocide. The Tamils of Indian origin were disenfranchised in 1948, whereas in the 1970s the policy of standardization of education aimed at stopping the Tamils from entering the university and prompted many Tamil youth to take up arms.

International-Lawyers.Org echoed the concern of other civil society colleagues about the apparent failure to implement the General Assembly resolutions on the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and the International Decade for People of African Descent. It regretted that little visibility had been given to the commemoration of the fifteenth anniversary of the Durban Declaration. It also expressed disappointment that European countries were shutting their borders to migrants.

Association des étudiants tamouls de France noted that the systematic discrimination of Tamils in Sri Lanka continued. The Sri Lanka military maintained a high security presence in the Tamil regions, with one Singhalese soldier per six Tamils in the north-east. The organization called on the Government of Sri Lanka to withdraw all armed forces from the Tamil lands, and called on the international community to establish a special rapporteur mandate on the question of Tamils in the north-east.

Servas International said that a disturbing increase in racism had been seen in response to the refugee crisis in Europe. Such trends bled nations of their innate resilience. The Human Rights Council was called on to hold a full-day discussion in commemoration of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action at its thirty-third session to be held in September, and to develop a multi-year programme to inform and mobilize the public in support of that Declaration.

China NGO Network for International Exchange said that in Chinese universities, it was believed that only by appreciating the richness of different ethnicities could the other be respected. In China, there was a tradition of appreciating differences, and there was a compulsory course on ethnic affairs, which stressed the “inseparableness” of ethnic groups.

European Union of Jewish Students said that unless ignorance was fought against, as well as prejudice and all types of discrimination, the international community would be held responsible as a society of tragedies occurred. It was time the international community put its efforts into combatting hatred together. The Human Rights Council was urged to reaffirm its role as a legal and moral compass protecting the human rights of all.

Conseil international pour le soutien à des procès équitables et aux Droits de l’Homme said that international instruments provided the tools to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance and placed the victims at the heart of those efforts. Unfortunately, there were signs of new forms of racial discrimination in societies, such as in Saudi Arabia in which citizens were deprived of their most basic rights.

Khiam Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture noted disturbing similarities between the apartheid regime in South Africa and the policies of Israel against the Palestinian people. Some of the policies included expelling the Palestinians from their traditional lands, enacting discriminatory laws, destroying the homes of Arabs, and others. The Council should make Israel stop all those practices and end the last apartheid and the occupation of Palestine.

Auspice Stella said that racism and racial discrimination were against human dignity and noted that the Mapuche people were constant victims in Argentina and Chile. The Chilean police failed to apply international provisions on political and religious meetings of Mapuche people.

Right of Reply

Azerbaijan, speaking in a right of reply, said that the remarks made by Armenia were absurd, adding that the major motto of Armenian diplomacy was to tell big lies and keep repeating them. Preambular and operative paragraphs of a resolution relating to Nagorno-Karabakh were cited in detail.

Turkey, speaking in a right of reply in response to Armenia, said that it deplored the fact that Armenia tried to exploit the Human Rights Council, an approach which carried the risk of staining the Council. The 1915 events were not a taboo in Turkey, and the same attitude was expected from Armenia, to let alternative narratives be voiced. A peaceful common future could only be built on dialogue. The events of 1915 were exploited to distract from Armenia’s domestic problems.

Armenia, speaking in a right of reply, said Armenia had already brought to the attention of the Council the outrageous practices of Azerbaijan. The practices of Azerbaijan as regards racism and xenophobia were well-documented, and fabrication had been noted by an advisory committee. The Azeri delegation was urged to refrain from intolerance and discrimination. In response to Turkey, Armenia said that disseminating hatred toward Armenians and Turks who acknowledged the genocide had become a norm of political discourse.

Azerbaijan, speaking in a second right of reply, said that Armenia did not answer the question of Azerbaijan and wondered what a representative of the occupying State could say about the resolutions calling upon Armenia to withdraw from the occupied territories. Azerbaijan counted on other States in defending the principles of the United Nations Charter of national sovereignty and territorial integrity

Turkey, speaking in a second right of reply, said that the statement by Armenia was a one-sided version of the past and the events of 1915. It was important to face history impartially and to reach a common understanding of it. Armenia should adopt the language of objective knowledge.

Armenia, speaking in a second right of reply, reminded Azerbaijan that the discussion was on racism and racial discrimination and not on conflict resolution and recalled that the conflict in Nagorny Karabakh was being dealt with by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Guidelines. In Turkey, there were still many people who preferred denialism on the principle of “what I do not see does not exist”. Armenia underlined that a number of well-respected historians had urged in 2010 the international community to recognize the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire.

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¹Joint statement: International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; African Canadian Legal Clinic; Comité International pour le Respect et l'Application de la Charte Africaine des Droits de l'Homme et des Peuples (CIRAC); Action internationale pour la paix et le développement dans la région des Grands Lacs; Africa Culture International; Espace Afrique International; International-Lawyers.Org; Union of Arab Jurists; Arab Commission for Human Rights; December Twelfth Movement International Secretariat; International Association Against Torture; Servas International; Association Dunenyo; African Development Association; and World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY).



For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC16/097E