Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination.

1994/9. Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

The Commission on Human Rights, Reaffirming the obligation of States under the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, Reaffirming its conviction that racism, racial discrimination and apartheid constitute a total negation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Reaffirming its firm determination and its commitment to eradicate totally and unconditionally racism in all its forms, racial discrimination and apartheid, Recalling its resolution 1993/11 of 26 February 1993, Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid and the Convention against Discrimination in Education adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 14 December 1960, Bearing in mind General Assembly resolutions 3057 (XXVIII) of 2 November 1973, on the First Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, and 38/14 of 22 November 1983, on the Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, Recalling the two World Conferences to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, held at Geneva in 1978 and 1983, Welcoming the outcome of the World Conference on Human Rights, held at Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993, and, in particular, the attention given to the programme of action for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Welcoming also the decision by the Economic and Social Council to appoint a special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Bearing in mind the measures taken by the South African authorities to repeal or amend the major laws which had constituted the pillars of apartheid, as well as the progress made towards the establishment of a democratic, non-racial and united South Africa, Convinced of the need to ensure and support the peaceful transition towards a democratic and non-racial South Africa, Reaffirming the Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences in Southern Africa, unanimously adopted by the General Assembly at its sixteenth special session, on 14 December 1989, which offers guidelines on how to end apartheid, Noting with grave concern that, despite the efforts of the international community, the principal objectives of the two Decades to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination have not been attained and that millions of human beings continue to this day to be the victims of varied forms of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid, Recognizing the importance of strengthening, where necessary, national legislation and institutions for the promotion of racial harmony, Aware of the importance and the magnitude of the phenomenon of migrant workers, as well as the efforts undertaken by the international community to improve the protection of the human rights of migrant workers and members of their families, Recalling the adoption by the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, Aware that indigenous people are at times victims of particular forms of racism and racial discrimination, Welcoming General Assembly resolution 48/91 of 20 December 1993, whereby the General Assembly decided to proclaim a Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, beginning in 1993, and to adopt the Programme of Action proposed for the Third Decade, Taking note of the Secretary-General's note (E/CN.4/1994/63) transmitting the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,

1. Declares that all forms of racism and racial discrimination, particularly in their institutionalized form, such as apartheid, or resulting from official doctrines of racial superiority or exclusivity, are among the most serious violations of human rights in the contemporary world and must be combated by all available means;

2. Commends all States that have ratified or acceded to the relevant international instruments to combat racism and racial discrimination;

3. Appeals to those States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying, acceding to and implementing the relevant international instruments, particularly the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid and the Convention against Discrimination in Education;

4. Urges all Governments to take all necessary measures to combat new forms of racism, in particular by ongoing adjustment of the methods used to combat them;

5. Invites all Governments and international and non-governmental organizations to increase and intensify their activities to combat racism, racial discrimination and apartheid and to provide relief and assistance to the victims of these evils;

6. Invites the Secretary-General to take action to coordinate all the programmes currently being carried out by United Nations bodies with a view to achieving the objectives of the Third Decade;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to accord special attention to the situation of migrant workers and members of their families and to include regularly in his reports all information on such workers;

8. Also requests the Secretary-General to continue the study on the effects of racial discrimination on the children of minorities and those of migrant workers in the field of education, training and employment, and to submit, inter alia, specific recommendations for the implementation of measures to combat the effects of that discrimination;

9. Calls upon all Member States to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families as a matter of priority, with a view to its soon being able to enter into force;

10. Urges the Secretary-General United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, all Governments, intergovernmental organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations, in implementing the Programme of Action for the Third Decade, to pay particular attention to the situation of indigenous peoples;

11. Requests the Secretary-General to publish and distribute as soon as possible the revised model legislation for the guidance of Governments in the enactment of further legislation against racial discrimination;

12. Invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to expedite the preparation of teaching materials and teaching aids to promote teaching, training and education activities on human rights and against racism and racial discrimination, with particular emphasis on activities at the primary and secondary levels of education;

13. Regrets that some of the activities scheduled for the Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination have not been implemented because of lack of adequate resources;

14. Calls upon the international community to provide the Secretary-General with appropriate financial resources for efficient action against racism and racial discrimination;

15. Invites all Governments, United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, as well as interested non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, to participate fully in the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination;

16. Considers that voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund for the Programme for the Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination are indispensable for the implementation of the Programme;

17. Strongly appeals, therefore, to all Governments, organizations and individuals in a position to do so to contribute generously to the Trust Fund, and to this end requests the Secretary-General to continue to undertake appropriate contacts and initiatives to encourage contributions;

18. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the necessary financial resources are provided for the implementation of the activities of the Third Decade during the biennium 1994-1995;

19. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (A/48/423);

20. Recommends that the activities mentioned in the report of the Secretary-General be undertaken during the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and be reviewed at mid-term;

21. Welcomes the establishment of a focal point within the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, which will be responsible for reviewing information concerning activities carried out within the framework of the Third Decade and making specific recommendations on activities to be undertaken;

22. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission on Human Rights a detailed annual report on:

(a) all activities of United Nations bodies and the specialized agencies, analysing information received on such activities to combat racism and racial discrimination;

(b) measures to be taken to improve the coordination of the activities of the Programme of Action or to supplement, on the basis of the discussions in plenary, the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination;

23. Recalls how important it is to assign the highest priority to the activities of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination aimed at monitoring the transition from apartheid to a non-racial society in South Africa;

24. Calls upon all Governments to encourage further positive change in South Africa based on the guidelines set out in the Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences in Southern Africa, in particular by adopting effective measures to support and ensure the peaceful transition to a non-racial and democratic society in South Africa;

25. Decides to consider at its fifty-first session, as a matter of high priority, the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination.

30th meeting
18 February 1994
[Adopted without a vote. See chap. XIV.]