Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

  The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 38/21 of 22 November 1983 on the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and 39/20 of 23 November 1984 on the status of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as well as its other relevant resolutions on the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, Having considered the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the work of its twenty-ninth and thirtieth sessions, submitted under article 9, paragraph 2, of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Emphasizing that it is important for the success of the struggle against all instances of racial discrimination, including vestiges and manifestations of racist ideologies wherever they exist, that all Member States be guided in their internal and foreign policies by the basic provisions of the Convention, Bearing in mind the fact that the Convention is being implemented in different economic, social and cultural conditions prevailing in individual States parties, Mindful of the obligation of all States parties to comply fully with the provisions of the Convention, Aware of the importance of the contribution of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, Taking note of the decisions adopted and the recommendations made by the Committee at its twenty-ninth and thirtieth sessions,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the work of its twenty-ninth and thirtieth sessions;

2. Strongly condemns the policy of apartheid in South Africa and Namibia as a crime against humanity and urges all Member States to adopt effective political, economic and other measures in conformity with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, the Security Council and other United Nations bodies, in order to support the legitimate struggle of the oppressed people of South Africa and Namibia for their national liberation and human dignity, and to secure the elimination of the racist apartheid system;

3. Takes note with appreciation of the report submitted to the Committee by the United Nations Council for Namibia as the legal Administering Authority for Namibia until independence and encourages the Council in its determined endeavours towards the elimination of apartheid from the Territory and the attainment of independence of the people of Namibia;

4. Commends the Committee for its continuous endeavours towards the elimination of apartheid in South Africa and Namibia and of all forms of discrimination based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, wherever it exists;

5. Takes note with appreciation of the Committee's decision to participate actively in the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to explore the possibilities of issuing as United Nations publications the two studies prepared by the Committee on articles 4 and 7 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;

7. Welcomes the efforts of the Committee aimed at the elimination of all forms of discrimination against national or ethnic minorities, persons belonging to such minorities and indigenous populations, wherever such discrimination exists, and the attainment of the full enjoyment of their human rights through the implementation of the principles and provisions of the Convention;

8. Welcomes further the efforts of the Committee aimed at the elimination of all forms of discrimination against migrant workers and their families, the promotion of their rights on a non-discriminatory basis and the achievement of their full equality, including the freedom to maintain their cultural characteristics;

9. Calls upon all Member States to adopt effective legislative, socio-economic and other necessary measures in order to ensure the prevention or elimination of discrimination based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin;

10. Further calls upon States parties to the Convention to protect fully, by the adoption of the relevant legislative and other measures, in conformity with the Convention, the rights of national or ethnic minorities and persons belonging to such minorities, as well as the rights of indigenous populations;

11. Commends States parties to the Convention on measures taken to ensure, within their jurisdiction, the availability of appropriate recourse procedures for the victims of racial discrimination;

12. Reiterates its invitation to the States parties to the Convention to provide the Committee, in accordance with its general guidelines, with information on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention, including information on the demographic composition of their population and on their relations with the racist regime of South Africa;

13. Calls upon the United Nations bodies concerned to ensure that the Committee is supplied with all relevant information on all the Territories to which General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 applies and urges again the administering Powers to co-operate with these bodies by providing all the necessary information in order to enable the Committee to discharge fully its responsibilities under article 15 of the Convention;

14. Appeals to the States parties to take fully into consideration their obligation under the Convention to submit their reports in due time;

15. Takes note of the decision of the Committee to hold its session in one of the African countries at the appropriate time and requests the Secretary-General to explore the possibilities and financial implications of holding that session within the context of the Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and to inform the General Assembly and the Committee on his findings;

16. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to ensure wider publicity of the work of the Committee, which would facilitate its task to implement effectively its functions under the Convention.