Elimination of all forms of racial discrimination

XXVI. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE THIRD COMMITTEE
2784. Elimination of all forms of racial discrimination

The General Assembly, Firmly convinced that all forms of racial discrimination are a total negation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and that they militate against human progress, peace and justice, Fully aware that apartheid and all other forms of racial discrimination are instruments of colonialism and imperialism as well as of economic exploitation, Reiterating its conviction that any doctrine of exclusiveness based on racial differentiation or ethnic or religious superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable and socially unjust, Reiterating also its firm determination to bring about the total and unconditional elimination of racial discrimination in all its forms, Having designated the year 1971 as the International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, Convinced that the International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination should be observed as the opening year of an ever-growing struggle against racial discrimination in all its forms and manifestations and for the purpose of promoting international solidarity with all those struggling against racism, Considering that by arousing world public opinion and promoting action against racism the International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination would contribute to the expansion of national and international efforts towards ensuring the rapid and total eradication of racial discrimination in all its forms, Believing in the urgent need for eliminating racial discrimination through continuous and vigorous national action and collective international measures in order to alleviate the suffering of millions of people the world over and to ensure them the dignity and equality inherent in all human beings,

I

1. Requests the President of the General Assembly to forward the message annexed to the present resolution directly to the heads of State or Government of each State;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report based on the information and comments received from Governments, in accordance with the message sent to heads of State or Government, to the Commission on Human Rights at its twenty-eighth session;

3. Invites the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights, bearing in mind the provisions of paragraph 2 above, to submit suggestions with a view to launching continued international action to combat racism on the basis of a "Decade for vigorous and continued mobilization against racism and racial discrimination in all its forms";

II

1. Reaffirms that apartheid is a crime against humanity;

2. Declares that racial discrimination in all its forms is a criminal affront to the conscience and dignity of mankind;

3. Emphatically reaffirms its recognition and vigorous support of the legitimacy of the struggles of all oppressed peoples everywhere, and in particular in southern Africa, against colonial, racial and alien domination or foreign occupation towards the achievement of their inalienable rights to equality and freedom, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and calls for increased and continued moral and material support to all peoples struggling for their liberation, self-determination and the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination;

4. Invites the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to study and make recommendations for the further elaboration of international instruments to deal with crimes against humanity, particularly those arising from the policies of apartheid;

5. Condemns those countries which, by their political, economic and military collaboration with the Government of South Africa, encourage and incite that Government to persist in its racist policy;

6. Strongly condemns all Governments that continue to supply arms to the Pretoria régime in violation of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council;

III

1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination,[1] established under article 8 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;

2. Endorses the opinions and recommendations submitted by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in its decisions 3 (IV), 4 (IV) and 5 (IV);[2]

3. Calls upon all the trading partners of South Africa to abstain from any action that constitutes an encouragement to the continued violation of the principles and objectives of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by South Africa and the illegal régime in Southern Rhodesia, and to use their influence with a view to ensuring the eradication of the policies of apartheid and racial discrimination in the international territory of Namibia and Southern Rhodesia;

4. Also calls upon the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the administering Power for Southern Rhodesia, to adopt all the necessary measures, including the use of force, with a view to ending the racist and illegal régime of Ian Smith;

5. Condemns the Government of Portugal for persisting in its colonialist policies in Africa and for continuing its war against the peoples of the Territories under its domination;

6. Invites the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to continue its comprehensive studies of policies and practices of racial discrimination, taking into account in particular discrimination against peoples of African origin in all countries, and to submit a report to the General Assembly as soon as possible, but not later than at its twenty-eighth session, together with recommendations for action to combat such policies and practices;

IV

Decides to consider this item again at its twenty-seventh session. 2001st plenary meeting,
6 December 1971.

ANNEX Message from the President of the General Assembly to the heads of State or Government

I

1. The General Assembly at its twenty-sixth session on the occasion of celebrating the International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination has requested me, as a matter of urgency, to put before you the following facts concerning the United Nations campaign against racial discrimination:

(a) The racist Government of South Africa and the illegal régime in Southern Rhodesia have blatantly continued to pursue policies of racial discrimination and apartheid in flagrant violation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of those enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

(b) The racist Government of South Africa continues to effect an extensive arms build-up, thus posing a serious threat to the security and sovereignty of independent African States opposed to its racist policies, as well as to all those peoples struggling against the racial and inhuman policies in southern Africa.

(c) The racist policies in southern Africa have been permitted, even encouraged, to expand through:

(i) The continued existence and operation of the white racist minority régime in Southern Rhodesia through the deliberate ineffectiveness of measures so far taken by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the administering Power;

(ii) The illegal occupation of the Territory of Namibia by the racist Government of South Africa.

(d) The racist Governments in southern Africa have been further strengthened through:

(i) The maintenance by many States of political, commercial, military, economic, social and other relations with the racist Governments in southern Africa in utter disregard of United Nations resolutions and of the purposes and principles of the Charter;

(ii) An unholy alliance between South Africa, Portugal and Southern Rhodesia, established in order to suppress the struggle of the peoples of that region and to silence the cry of Africa against racism, apartheid, economic exploitation and colonial domination.

(e) The United Nations has vigorously opposed all policies based on racial discrimination and, consequently, has:

(i) Declared that any State whose official policy or practice is based on racial discrimination contravenes the purposes and principles of the Charter, and called upon those Governments to desist forthwith from pursuing such policies;

(ii) Condemned the policies of States which, by political, economic or military collaboration with the racist régimes in southern Africa, enable and encourage those régimes to enforce and perpetuate their racist policies, and called upon those States to desist forthwith from extending such collaboration;

(iii) Reaffirmed time and again the legitimacy of the struggle of all oppressed peoples, in particular in the territories under racial, alien domination or foreign occupation, to obtain liberation and racial equality, and called for increased and continued moral and material support to these struggling peoples.

(f) However, the numerous resolutions that have been adopted by the various organs of the United Nations still have little or no effect, owing to the arrogant, flagrant and stubborn disregard on the part of South Africa and its racist allies, transplanted to the soil of Africa, and to the continued political, economic and military aid coming from some States.

II

2. The General Assembly, therefore, is as convinced as ever that the continuation of national and international action against racial discrimination in all its forms, old and contemporary alike, is a matter of cardinal importance if the world is to live in peace and justice, the two interdependent and indispensable components of a better future for all mankind.

3. The General Assembly is also convinced that the primary aim of the United Nations and, therefore, of all its Member States in the sphere of human rights is the achievement by each individual of the maximum freedom and dignity and that, for the realization of this objective, the laws of every country should grant each individual, irrespective of race, sex, language, religion or political belief, all the rights inherent in all human beings on the basis of equality, and that the people of every country must be made fully aware of the evils of the policies of racial discrimination and of the ideologies based on racial supremacy and must join in condemning, resisting and combating them.

4. The General Assembly is further convinced that the continuation of racism and colonialism cannot but seriously hamper the efforts of the international community to achieve peace, justice and progress.

III

5. The General Assembly, in view of the aforementioned facts and convictions, has authorized me to request you to transmit the present text to the legislative, administrative, judicial, educational and trade union bodies of your country, as well as to the mass media of information, in order to ensure the continuation of the world campaign against racial discrimination, bearing in mind that the International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination should be considered as the opening year for a full decade of vigorous struggle against this evil, until the achievement of its total elimination. To that end, the General Assembly recommends, inter alia:

(a) The discussion of this problem in all national and international conferences, especially in the fields of education, information, trade unions, etc.;

(b) The inculcation through education of children and youth in the spirit of human rights by the inclusion in the curricula of special and yearly programmes on the evils of racism and racial discrimination;

(c) The continuation of the programmes designated to be carried out during 1971, the International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, and their development and updating, in order to intensify the efforts to combat racial discrimination;

(d) The continuation of open moral support and the increasing of material aid to the peoples struggling against racial discrimination and apartheid;

(e) The termination of all relations with the Government of South Africa and all other racist régimes;

(f) Exerting every effort to bring about the full implementation of all Security Council and General Assembly resolutions that reflect the world's resolve to end each and every case of discrimination and foreign exploitation;

(g) The repeal of all laws and regulations which contribute to the maintenance and propagation of racial discrimination.

IV

6. The General Assembly has requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on this subject to the Assembly at its twenty-seventh session, in which would be included reports of Governments on the above message.

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[1] Ibid. [2] Ibid., chap. VII, sect. B.