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Session: Agenda item 9, Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance

We welcome the efforts made towards the holding of the Durban Review Conference. The Durban Declaration represents the commitments arising from the complex global dialogue which took place. It addresses past manifestations as well as contemporary forms of racial discrimination. The Programme of Action is a road map illustrating how the international community should follow-up on the commitments. We wish to remind ourselves of the follwing;

Durban Platform for Action:
a. Expressed concerns about the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupation and recognized the inalienable right of Palestinian People to self-determination
b. It recalled the Holocaust
c. Agreement was reached to develop National Action Plans, legislations, provide legal assistance to address racial discrimination.
d. It also urgen that victim-oreinted approach was an important tool to eliminate racial discrimination. In this regard addressing issues of African and persons of African descent, Asians and persons of Asian descent, indigenous people, migrants, refugees, minorities, the Roam and others are still high on our agenda.

Indeed the DPA is both historic and forward looking. The Durban Conference also brought to light new and other forms of discrimination. It is indeed historic that in the post Durban scenario that the CERD committee in 2006 under descent and work based discrimination was able to deal with the issue of the discrimination of Dalits in India and had formulated constructive concluding observations.

The OHCR supported the participation of the NGOs in WCAR through the office of the NGO liason and providing resources. The continous guidance we received from the OHCR was valuable. In keeping with the spirity of constructive engageemtns with the civil society WCAR provided opportunities to NGOs involved and working on issues of raciam, racial discrimination and xenophobia to attend Durban through a new accreditation formula.

We wish to make the following suggestions:
a) It is our appeal that all NGOs accredited to WCAR be invited and given an opportunity to fully participate in the preparatory process of the Durban review.
b) Given the short space of time available the OHCR facilitate the provision of funds to regional preparatory processes for civil society actors to better prepare for the review.
c) Urge governments to develop stake holder meetings at the National Level for review of DPA
d) Setting up of a web-site to have access to developments and information of the Durban Review.
e) Urge the member states to provide adequate funds to support the efforts to make the review a success.