ISC PROPOSAL TO THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS FOR FOLLOW-UP TO THE WCAR AND NGO FORUM

Summary: The preparation process for the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) and the NGO Forum took almost two years. It included many national meetings and briefings, at the local and national NGO level, as well as regional experts and preparatory meetings, all leading up to Durban in August of 2001. This proposal for follow-up to the World Conference Against Racism would retrace the steps of the preparatory process, from Durban, back to regional and national meetings, and ultimately to the grass-roots, using the NGO networks and caucuses formed during the preparatory process. Our firm belief, basic to this proposal, is that change, if it is to occur at all, must occur at the grass-roots if racism is ever to be effectively overcome.

To many of us who participated in the preparatory process and Durban itself, racism and its intersections are a significant if not a direct factor in all human rights abuses. It is also clear to many of us, particularly after Durban, that public discourse and education on the issue of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance, is needed at all levels of society, from the United Nations to national governments to the grass-roots. We would propose that the networks and caucuses developed during the preparatory process be re-directed to support grass-roots involvement in the struggle against racism, to educate and support the grass-roots in monitoring national plans, to develop local and national anti-racism events and activity, and to use international events to further public discourse and education on racism. Caucuses should also promote anti-racism activity within their constituencies.

We would further propose that the Durban NGO Forum Declaration and Programme of Action serve as the basis of how those most affected by racism, the so-called victims of racism, view racism, focusing particularly on the Programme of Action and the activities and actions that should be taken against it. In spite of whatever controversy surrounds it, the NGO Document is a global statement on racism by the victims of racism, outlining the steps that these groups believe should be taken to combat racism. It further serves to educate us all on the intersections of racism and how racism serves to underpin all forms of intolerance and discrimination against all other human rights throughout the world.

The WCAR took place in Durban, South Africa, on August 31 through September 7, 2001. The WCAR NGO Forum took place on August 28 through August 31, 2001, also in Durban. An NGO Youth Forum preceded the NGO Forum, on August 26 and 27.

The Commission on Human Rights (the Commission), the UN Preparatory Committee for the WCAR, undertook a great deal of activity in preparation for the WCAR beginning in March of 1999. The Commission held three formal Prepcoms and three Informal Consultations and Working Groups in Geneva. UN Preparatory activity also included several Experts meetings, including two in Geneva, and others in Belaggio, Warsaw, Bangkok, Addis-Ababa, and Strasbourg, and four major Regional Preparatory meetings, in Santiago, Chile (Americas), Dakar, Senegal (Africa), Teheran, Iran (Asia), and Strasbourg, France (European Community).

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) participated in the formal UN preparatory activity from the beginning, as well as conducted their own meetings and gatherings at these UN fora, including NGO Forums at the Regional Prepcoms in Strasbourg, Santiago, Dakar and Tehran. NGOs, in conjunction with the High Commissioner, also held regional meetings of their own, in Warsaw, Gabarones, Quito, Amman, Kathmandu and Sydney.

Throughout these national and regional processes, and particularly at the international Prepcom processes in Geneva, Caucuses of NGOs formed around so-called victims groups (e.g., Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendants, Dalits, Roma). Other NGOs with interests in particular manifestations or intersections of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance also formed caucuses (e.g., Religious Intolerance, Environmental Racism, Poverty, Labor). May of these Caucuses formed and began to take part in national, regional and international preparatory activity. In many cases these caucuses adopted their own Declarations and Programmes of Action and many issued their own statements and recommendations to the States for adoption in the Experts Meetings Reports and the Regional Declarations and Programmes of Action.

The all of this activity began to form a world-wide consensus on racism by those most adversely affected by racism, through their caucuses, and began to articulate the steps that should be take to effectively combat this scourge on humanity.

The NGO Forum program was designed to gather the international consensus formed by the groups most affected by racism, the so-called victims groups, throughout the preparatory process, as well as those who had discussed and developed an international consensus on the intersections of racism and xenophobia and related intolerance. The NGO Forum examined the present day international structures of racism in four thematic plenary sessions on Globalization, Colonization, Structural Racism, and Self-Determination, inviting experts, persons belonging to the affected groups themselves, to present the global structure of contemporary racism, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Twenty-five Commissions and Round Tables examined particular themes developed over the two-year preparatory process, on groups most affected by racism as well as themes of related intolerance and xenophobia. Caucuses formed during the two-year preparatory process organized the Commissions and named the speakers and rapporteurs for these Commissions, to reflect the consensus of NGOs, grass-roots communities and organizations, as well as noted individuals, developed over the two-year process.

Each Commission and Round Table appointed a rapporteur whose task it was to synthesize their Commission’s discussions and conclusions to inform the NGO Declaration and Programme of Action.

The method of informing and adopting the NGO Forum Declaration and Programme of Action through caucuses was intended to avoid domination of certain areas of the world. (We were informed that the "North" comprised about 25% of NGO Forum participants). It was noted that many more grass roots communities and organizations participated in national and regional preparatory process than were represented at Durban. This method of reaching a global Civil Society consensus on racism was an attempt to reflect and respect grass-roots views and participation from all of the national and regional process.

It was also felt that the Caucuses formed during the preparatory processes were composed primarily of NGO representatives of both national and international NGOs, each composed of constituencies and accountable to a wider group. Some Caucuses, like the Indigenous Caucus, are composed of representatives of groups with hundreds if not thousands of constituent international, national and grass-roots communities and organizations, as well as noted individuals from all over the world.

Given the need for others who had not participated in the preparatory process to participate in the Durban NGO process, individuals were asked to participate in the Commissions and Round Tables. Caucuses were also formed during the NGO Forum to inform the final document and to take part in the adoption process. In the end, the list of 25 or so caucuses formed at Prepcoms prior to Durban grew to over 40 in Durban.

These factors, and others, of wide accountability and global representation and ownership should continue to be the basis for follow-up activity.

There is no doubt that the resulting NGO Forum Declaration and Programme of Action was and is controversial. Some NGOs and groups have publicly disassociated themselves from it. But given the results of the States’ WCAR, where so-called "contentious" issues, such as the situation of the Dalits, and reparations for the victims of racism were ignored, the Durban NGO Declaration and Programme of Action represent the only global view, from the collective perspective of victims, of the intersections of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance as they perceive them and as they live them day to day. If not a global consensus, in spite of its shortcomings there is no doubt that this document speaks with the voices of those most oppressed by racism, as reflected by the public statements even of those who would disassociate themselves from it. It is these voices that must continue to be heard. They can no longer be silenced or ignored.

It is therefore important that as national plans to combat racism are developed by the States, that the NGO Forum Declaration and Programme of Action serve as a reference not only for the views expressed by the victims of racism themselves, but for the actions and remedies that they would propose in the struggle against it.

It must be noted that the ownership of the follow-up process belongs to no one group or individual, but belongs to us all. Whatever can be done to further the struggle against racism, in all of its forms, must be done by any and all. This proposal is not the only follow-up that is needed or possible. What is possible after Durban, and what is needed on the part of NGOs, including local, grass-roots organizations, is a will to struggle against racism energetically and visibly, and to accept and use the international solidarity offered in Durban in that struggle.

This proposal would retrace the steps leading up to the World Conference, from Caucuses at the WCAR and preparatory process, leading back to regional and national, and finally, local activity, raising the issues of racism and its intersections with other forms of xenophobia and related intolerance.

A. The United Nations: It is clear that many member States of the United Nations have little political will to address fundamental and important issues of racism. It is also clear from the controversies, the walk outs and the final Declaration and Programme of Action of the States’ WCAR at Durban, as well as the lack of any substantial activity or progress from the two previous UN World Conferences and the three UN declared International Decades against racism, that the States are not prepared to devote any substantial or serious resources to follow-up activity of this WCAR. It is up to civil society to raise and address fundamental issues of racism, primarily at the grass-roots and national levels, if fundamental issues of racism are to be adequately and effectively addressed.

B. The High Commissioner on Human Rights: As a key primary and significant contribution to the follow-up for Durban, the High Commissioner should continue the internet network and the UN Liaison email briefings developed for the WCAR. These briefings were a primary source of information, ideas, and feedback to the NGO community on the WCAR. The continuation of the UN Liaison briefing emails on NGO anti-racism activity would internationalize the follow-up and lend support and credibility to local efforts. The language capabilities of these email briefings, in Spanish, French and English, were of particular importance to the world-wide NGO community. It is this ability to inform regional and national NGOs in relevant languages that is of particular importance to any international follow-up process.

The United Nations and the High Commissioner can also continue to play a key role in the struggle against racism by declaring an International Day of Struggle Against Racism, suggested by the High Commissioner as December 10. The UN can promote this day through publicity, posters, and other low-cost activity, and officially recognize regional and national NGO fora devoted to activities and discussions on racism.

The High Commissioner’s Office should also inform the wider NGO community as to regional and national anti-racism activity, such as the formulation of national plans by particular States. As far in advance as possible, the High Commissioner should inform NGOs as to national processes before they occur, ensuring that NGOs play a role in the formulation of National plans.

If resources are available, the High Commissioner could also produce educational and other materials available to NGOs and interested communities, in all UN languages, regarding racism and intolerance. The High Commissioner’s Liaison Unit should also be willing to receive such materials from NGOs for distribution through her offices.

The issue of racism should be on the agenda of other UN Conferences and meetings, such as the upcoming Earth Summit IV. The High Commissioner as well as the Commission on Human Rights can invite and make resources available to UN Representatives and other appropriate UN personnel, including the Special Rapporteurs, such as the Rapporteur on Racism, the Rapporteur Religious Intolerance and the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, to make country visits and to attend regional and national meetings devoted to racism, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Following the WCAR NGO Programme of Action, particularly with regard to: Formal and Non-Formal Education Including Adult Education (para. 288 et.seq.); Public Awareness and Access to Information (para. 301 et.seq.); Training and Education for Public Officials (para. 305 et.seq.); and, Labour (para. 366 et.seq., particularly para 392), the High Commissioner should undertake public information campaigns and facilitate the free flow of information on the rights and remedies of victims of racism. Most importantly, the High Commissioner could offer this support to networks of NGOs and communities in appropriate languages.

The High Commissioner can also continue support for the adoption and observance of key human rights conventions and protocols as listed in para. 207 of the WCAR NGO Programme of Action. As called for by the NGO Programme of Action, para. 205, the High Commissioner should also continue to seek a regular an adequate budget to ensure that anti-racism activity is conducted in every region of the world.

C. The Role of Caucuses and constituent NGOs: As it was primarily the caucuses, both of groups most affected by racism and related intolerance, and those with intersectional interests related to racism that developed and articulated the victims’ own consensus on racism, these caucuses should accept the responsibility of promoting and supporting anti-racism activity by their constituent members. The Caucuses should immediately begin to network their constituencies and through their membership, the grass roots.

Caucuses should solidify networks with their constituent organization, both at the international and national levels, in appropriate languages, in order to generate anti-racism activity as well as public support for that activity. Caucuses should inform the NGO Liaison Unit for wider distribution of information on that activity. Caucuses and constituent NGOS should issue calls for support and solidarity, for regional, national and local celebrations of diversity, of local communities struggles against racism, of protests against the manifestations of racism, and the promotion of an end to privilege and discrimination.

Caucuses should keep the UN Liaison’s office and its networks informed on any and all international and national meetings. Caucuses should inform their constituents with sufficient time to plan anti-racism activity at these meetings and to formulate and present to the States the position of the victims of racism at those events and meetings. Caucuses should also continue to gather their constituents and develop policies and actions relevant to their expertise for use at these meetings and fora.

Caucuses and NGOs should themselves promote and support the organization of regional, national and local meetings to address racism and its manifestations. These meetings and conferences should have as a focal point the struggle against racism. Diversity should be celebrated. Local communities and NGOs should plan around an International Day of Struggle Against Racism and other key dates, as declared by the High Commissioner or other appropriate national or international body. NGO networks should ensure that other national and international events, such as Women’s Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, and other such commemorations include public discourse on racism and its intersections.

The caucuses could invite the participation of local, grass-roots organizations in all of their activity. They should encourage education and discourse on related intersectional issues of racism and their area of primary concern.

D. The Role of International NGOs: International NGOs have a particular responsibility to further communications and networks at the international level in support of national and local anti-racism activity. In this regard, CONGO, the international NGO coordinator has already agreed to facilitate communications to its constituency to promote and support local, grass-roots activity. Educational materials, posters, and other materials produced by NGOs could receive distribution or publicity as to their availability through the UN Liaison Unit, CONGO, or directly through their own information networks.

International NGO should invite, validate, support, and offer solidarity to grass-roots organizations and communities in their struggle against racism. International NGOs should ensure that the issue of racism is prominent in any and all UN and Regional Multi-State Organizational fora. International NGOs should include grass-roots representatives in their delegations to ensure that the grass-roots has an opportunity to represent itself and use its own voice at these fora.