General Assembly Session 56 meeting 97

The Acting President

The Assembly will now consider the report of the Third Committee on agenda item 117, entitled "Elimination of racism and racial discrimination" (A/56/581).

I request the Rapporteur of the Third Committee, Mr. Juraj Priputen of Slovakia, to introduce the report of the Third Committee.

Mr. Priputen (Slovakia)

I have the honour to present the report of the Third Committee under agenda item 117, entitled "Elimination of racism and racial discrimination", which is contained in document A/56/581.

Under this item, the Third Committee, in section III, paragraph 28, of its report, recommends the adoption of four draft resolutions. In paragraph 29 of the same report, the Committee recommends the adoption of one draft decision.

I would like to draw the attention of the Assembly to several corrections that should be made to the report.

In section II, paragraph 8 (a), of the report, regarding the replacement of the sixth preambular paragraph of draft resolution A/C.3/56/L.83/Rev.1, the words "outcome of the", which appear in the first line immediately before "World Conference", should be deleted, as should the words ", held from 31 August to 8 September 2001 at Durban, South Africa,". The paragraph thus reads:

"Welcoming that the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance urged States and the international community to support the activities of the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,".

Therefore, in section III of the report, the sixth preambular paragraph of draft resolution I, which is found on page 29 of the English text, should also read as follows:

"Welcoming that the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance urged States and the international community to support the activities of the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination."

Turning back to section II of the report, in paragraph 14, in the list of the results of the voting on draft resolution A/C.3/56/L.84/Rev.1, which is entitled "Comprehensive implementation of the outcome of and follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance", Cuba should be inserted between Croatia and Cyprus as having voted in favour of the draft resolution.

Lastly, also in section II of the report, in paragraph 19, in the narrative dealing with draft resolution A/C.3/56/L.85/Rev.1, entitled "Measures to combat contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", after the words "submitted by the sponsors of draft resolution A/C.3/56/L.85", the following phrase should be inserted:

"as well as Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

I commend this report to the General Assembly for its consideration.

The Acting President

If there is no proposal under rule 66 of the rules of procedure, I shall take it that the General Assembly decides not to discuss the report of the Third Committee that is before the Assembly today.

The Acting President

Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote.

May I remind members that, under paragraph 7 of decision 34/401, the General Assembly agreed that

"When the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Committee and in plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, that is, either in the Committee or in plenary meeting, unless that delegation's vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee."

May I also remind delegations that, also in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

Before we begin to take action on the recommendations contained in the report of the Third Committee, I should like to advise representatives that we are going to proceed to take decisions in the same manner as was done in the Third Committee, unless notified otherwise in advance. This means that where a recorded vote was taken, we will do the same. I should hope that we may proceed to adopt without a vote those recommendations that were adopted without a vote in the Third Committee.

Mr. Kennedy (United States)

The United States is committed to the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, both within the United States and around the world. Our national experience shows that this battle is a long one, one that requires a strong, unequivocal commitment. Our commitment is reflected in the comprehensive national report we made last year in Geneva to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

One part of our fight as a world community is the fight against anti-Semitism. This ugly phenomenon led to the most devastating genocide in modern times, yet we still see its existence throughout the world. A civilized society must guard against this or any ideology that attempts to denigrate one group of people; that leads to hatred, exclusion and violence.

As is well known, the United States withdrew from the World Conference against Racism in Durban and, accordingly, was not part of the agreement to adopt the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. In our view, the Conference placed inappropriate and unacceptable focus on a single country-specific situation that was, and remains, totally irrelevant to the subject matter of the Conference.

Particularly at this moment, when it is critically important to make every effort to reduce the violence in the Middle East and guide the conflicting parties back to the negotiating table, the international community should not assess disproportionate blame on any one side in the dispute. In fact, in the Fifth Committee, we had strongly advocated a short delay in funding the Programme of Action in order to give the parties in the region time to work out a ceasefire and a way back to the negotiating table. Also in the Fifth Committee, my delegation proposed asking for an interim report from the Office of Internal Oversight Services -- a report that had been requested when this body adopted the budget resolution last December -- so that we might be better informed before making a decision to provide an additional $500,000 to the United Nations Centre for Human Rights in Geneva.

In our view, the Durban Conference deviated from its original stated purpose of crafting positive, forward-looking solutions to contemporary racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. We are also mindful that the Conference was accompanied in the streets of Durban by some of the worst examples of hate and intolerance witnessed in many decades.

The United States has additional concerns about this draft resolution, namely, those paragraphs that will require an increased expenditure of funds from the regular budget of the United Nations and which place significant added pressure on the budget agreement of last December to set the biennium regular budget level at $2.625 billion -- a level that is already being questioned -- as it strives to provide efficient and effective services to Member States. The draft resolution calls for additional funds to be allocated towards the operation of an anti-discrimination unit in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the establishment of a body of five eminent persons to monitor the implementation of the Durban documents. Because we do not agree to the establishment of either body, we continue to object to the Third Committee's approval of these mechanisms and this draft resolution and to the Fifth Committee's approval of $500,000 of United Nations regular budget funding for them.

For the foregoing reasons, the United States must vote against the adoption of draft resolution II. Nevertheless, make no mistake that the United States remains committed to the goals which the Conference was initially established to fulfil: to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Our position is simply that, in this struggle, we must keep our focus clear and never again allow a conference on racism to typify in some respects the very opposite of its original aims and objectives.

We request that this statement be reproduced in the official records of the General Assembly.

Mr. Laurin (Canada)

When this matter was before the Third Committee, Canada gave an explanation of vote and when it came before the Fifth Committee, Canada gave an explanation of position. We take up this issue for the third time because we consider it essential to do so. We will be obliged to do so each and every time resolutions and decisions of the United Nations call for the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in their entirety. This is precisely the situation we face today with the draft resolutions under agenda item 117 that call for the implementation of the outcome of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

Canada went to Durban to address important issues of racism with the international community. We were deeply disappointed. The Conference was inexcusably marred by unacceptable references to the Middle East. Canada regrets that the Conference did not focus on its noble objectives. We regret that the time and energy that should have been dedicated to the eradication of racism were squandered.

Canada chose to stay at the Conference until its conclusion in order to exert positive influence on its proceedings and to unequivocally condemn attempts to delegitimize the State of Israel and to dishonour the history and suffering of the Jewish people. We wish to reiterate here today once again that Canada dissociates itself integrally from all references in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action directly or indirectly relating to the Middle East.

As we stated at the conclusion of the Conference and during the negotiations of the draft resolution before us, any process, declaration or language presented in any form that does not serve to advance a negotiated peace that will bring security, dignity and respect to the people of the region is unacceptable. We also disassociate ourselves from any language that can be construed as welcoming, endorsing or encouraging the implementation of the provisions of the World Conference against Racism Declaration and Programme of Action that Canada did not agree to at Durban.

In our statement in Durban, we also disagreed with the manner in which some issues of the past and grounds of discrimination were addressed in the Conference outcome documents. We regret the inclusion without agreement, in fact, of an inappropriate footnote on gender. Canada also regrets that we were unable to maintain the agreement endorsed in Durban on the use of the term "indigenous peoples" in the resolutions on measures to combat racism. It is our view that this draft resolution is directly based on the outcome documents of the World Conference against Racism. Therefore, we should have used the agreed language from Durban, including explanatory paragraph 24.

That said, we believe that the outcome documents contain helpful language in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. We are particularly encouraged by the recognition of the situation faced by indigenous peoples, as well as by the attention which the outcome documents pay to the concept of multiple discrimination, the role of youth, the media, the Internet and globalization.

Canada is strongly and sincerely committed to the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and all discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, national or ethnic origin, descent, religion or language. Canada remains fully committed to the fight against racism and will use the positive measures contained in the Durban outcome documents, as well as the whole range of anti-racism strategies developed by multilateral organizations, in our continuing efforts to eradicate racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

However, as I have stated, Canada continues to have serious concerns about the Durban process as well as its outcome documents. This is why Canada will abstain in the voting on draft resolution II before us today.

We request that this statement be reproduced in the official records of the General Assembly.

The Acting President

The Assembly will now take a decision on the four draft resolutions recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 28 of its report and on the draft decision recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 29 of the same report.

The report of the Fifth Committee on the programme budget implications of draft resolution II is contained in document A/56/883.

We turn first to draft resolution I, entitled "Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination", as orally corrected by the Rapporteur.

The Third Committee adopted draft resolution I without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt draft resolution I, as orally corrected by the Rapporteur?

The Acting President

Draft resolution II is entitled "Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance".

The Acting President

Draft resolution III is entitled "Measures to combat contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance".

The Third Committee adopted draft resolution III without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The Acting President

Draft resolution IV is entitled "Measures to be taken against political platforms and activities based on doctrines of superiority and violent nationalist ideologies which are based on racial discrimination or ethnic exclusiveness and xenophobia, including neo-Nazism".

The Third Committee adopted draft resolution IV without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Acting President

The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft decision entitled "Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination".

May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the draft decision recommended by the Third Committee?

The Acting President

I now call on the representative of Cuba, who wishes to speak in explanation of vote on one of the resolutions just adopted.

Mr. Amorós Núñez (Cuba)

We wish to make a statement after the vote on draft resolution II, entitled "Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance".

At the outset, we associate ourselves with the statement made by Venezuela on behalf of the Group of 77 following the adoption of the draft resolution in the Third Committee. We cannot fail to take this opportunity to say how much we regret that a vote was taken on the draft resolution after we, along with many other delegations, had worked to prevent that from happening, and especially because my delegation, as well as many other delegations of the Group of 77, had made an extra effort to try to achieve consensus and accommodate the concerns of all delegations with respect to the draft resolution.

We should like to point out that in the future, my delegation -- and, I assume, many others also -- will work to ensure that the resolution engenders the same commitment that the international community has displayed with respect to other international United Nations conferences and meetings. The Durban Conference marked a milestone in the international community's commitment to the fight against racism, which we must reaffirm with all possible strength in the future.

The Acting President

May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to conclude its consideration of agenda item 117?