Geneva, 1 May 2000
Madam Chairperson,
Congratulations on your election to the chair of this body. It is
a great tribute to Africa that you, a sister from Senegal, have
been elected to this important position. My delegation looks
forward to working with you. To you, Madam High Commissioner, our
congratulations for the important work you and your Office have
initiated in preparing for the World Conference against Racism.
We stand ready to work closely with you in your capacity as
Secretary-General of the World Conference. I address you today, a
mere four days after South Africa commemorated Freedom Day. For
it was on 27 April that the first democratic elections were held
in South Africa in 1994. On that day the pernicious system of
apartheid finally ended and a new chapter in our history was
born, It is a day when millions of South Africans achieved their
freedom, dignity and basic human rights, irrespective of the
colour of their skin. Up until 27 April 1994, under the doctrine
of white supremacy, institutionalised racism and racial
discrimination dominated every aspect of life in South Africa.
That simple but eloquent phrase captured in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
"All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights
and fundamental freedoms", was denied to the vast majority
of my compatriots.Little wonder then that the international
community declared Apartheid a crime against humanity; that 21
March - a day when 69 unarmed civilians were massacred in
Sharpeville in 1960 - has come to be commemorated as the
International Day for the Elimination of all forms of Racial
Discrimination. Indeed, the system of Apartheid in South Africa
was recognised as being the most brutal system of racial
superiority since the Nazi era in Europe. While apartheid has
been consigned to the scrapheap of history, the scourge of racism
continues to afflict us in South Africa and the world. Madam
Chairperson, Democratic South Africa has taken important and
far-reaching strides since 1994. We have established a
constitutional democracy, underpinned by institutions geared to
protect our newly- nurtured democracy. Despite courageous steps
taken to promote reconciliation and equality of opportunities and
treatment, racism continues to afflict South African society.
Those who followed the South African Human Rights Commission's
enquiry on racism in the media or read the Special Rapporteur on
Racism's report on his mission to South Africa last year will
know that we still have a long way to go to excise racism from
our society. We believe that exposing racism can only be a first
but crucial step; that there is a need to challenge the denial of
human dignity that invariably accompanies racism and to adopt
effective measures to eradicate it. That, ladies and gentlemen,
is where the focus of the World Conference against Racism should
be. Madam Chairperson, I would like to share with you our view of
how this Prepcom and the World Conference could proceed. The 1993
World Conference on Human Rights regarded the elimination of
racism and racial discrimination as a primary objective for the
international community. However, despite this and many other
developments, these scourges persist and even continue to
increase, taking on not only more sophisticated and subtle forms
but also, at times, more brutal forms. In today's world we are
witnessing the phenomenon of intra-state conflict, whose
foundation can often be traced to ethnicity, racial
discrimination, social prejudice, religious intolerance, or
xenophobia. Racial prejudice and intolerance are on the rise
throughout the world. Religious intolerance, such as
anti-Semitism and attacks against Islam, the treatment of
migrants and refugees, the marginalisation of indigenous peoples
and ethnic minorities, are all reminders of the challenges that
confront us. While we must deal with current manifestations of
the problem, we cannot forget the impact slavery and colonialism
have made. The impact of economic globalisation, unequal wealth,
marginalisation and social exclusion can contribute to racism,
racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. These
factors are exacerbated when public authorities fail to combat
racial discrimination and xenophobia, and tolerate racism being
used as a tool to gain and maintain power. The World Conference
allows us to make a decisive and historic contribution to end
them. At the very least, the World Conference must send a message
to politicians and public figures that inciting racial
discrimination and promoting socially divisive platforms must
end.
Madam Chairperson,
Just as it is important to understand the
nature of racism and intolerance, we shall all be seeking to
achieve practical outcomes to the seven objectives laid down by
the General Assembly. We shall be seeking the active co-operation
and goodwill of all governments and civil society in achieving
this. In the coming week, we hope to exchange ideas on how we can
make the Conference a success. We see the World Conference as a
healing process whereby countries and regions can share
experiences so that we can reach a global consensus on not only
the forms and manifestations of racism but also strategies to
eradicate it. Madam Chairperson, Women, who constitute more than
half of humanity, continue to suffer a double form of
discrimination. We would strongly urge all concerned to adopt a
gender-based approach during the preparations for and the outcome
of the World Conference. To end racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance, everyone at grassroots level
needs to be mobilised, nationally and globally. Public awareness
campaigns, and education on basic human rights, are just some of
the things we can do to mobilise public opinion globally. At this
Prepcom I note that we will be considering a positive,
forward-looking slogan for the World Conference. In our view, the
outcome of the preparatory process and the World Conference will
be enhanced if they are more inclusive, especially regarding the
participation of NGOs and civil society. The challenge for us
this week, Madam Chairperson, is to elaborate and perhaps even
reach a common understanding on what outcomes we would like to
see from the World Conference. My Government believes it
essential that the World Conference initiate an agenda for social
transformation, an agenda that is measurable and action-oriented.
This agenda must include action by states, both at the national
and international levels. It would be especially important for
the United Nations to act holistically and in a co-ordinated
manner. In addition, we must deal with early-warning procedures,
racial reconciliation, law enforcement and the justice system,
national institutions, the media, education and civil society.
And finally, no solution can be complete without recourse and
redress of remedies for victims. Madam Chairperson, The regional
preparatory meetings will make an important contribution to the
World Conference, especially if they can propose concrete and
pragmatic solutions aimed at combating racism. Broad-based
participation at regional meetings, examining "best
practices" and successful models for combating racism, will
all help produce useful outcomes. For our part, we shall, during
the course of this week, be working with other African countries
to shape the format and structure of the regional meeting to be
held in Senegal. An important precursor for us will be our own
National Conference on Racism that will take place in
Johannesburg at the end of August this year. Madam Chairperson,
It is against this background and with a deep sense of history
that South Africa accepted the High Commissioner's request to
host the Third World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001. I would like to
assure you of the commitment of my Government towards this World
Conference and of our determination to cooperate with this
Preparatory Committee to make it a successful conference. We have
just over one year to prepare for, what will be for South Africa,
one of the largest-ever international conferences. We are
determined to make it a successful gathering. Towards this end, I
should like to share with you some steps we have already taken.
The Government has established two bodies to oversee
preparations: a Cabinet Committee, which I have the honour to
chair, and a National Preparatory Committee, chaired by the
Director General of Foreign Affairs and which comprises senior
Government officials, national institutions, civil society and
NGOs. Together with the UN, we have established a Joint
Management Committee that meets regularly in Geneva to review
progress in the preparations for the World Conference. At the end
of March, we arranged a visit from a UN exploratory team which
visited three potential sites for the World Conference, two close
to Johannesburg and one in Durban. This Prepcom too will help
inform our decision as to the best site for the World Conference,
and we hope to be able to make a recommendation to you shortly.
Madam Chairperson, in conclusion let me reiterate what President
Thabo Mbeki said earlier this year "We have not won the
struggle against racism - a defining element of the problem of
the colour line which the 20th century failed to solve. Thus does
it become necessary and possible for us to say that the challenge
facing the 21st century is the solution of the problem of the
colour line". That is the collective challenge that humanity
as a whole faces. But we must forever remain vigilant because the
scourge of racism can raise its ugly head in all countries and at
all imes. During this millenium, we need to search for unity of
humankind, but the unity we seek is not one of uniformity, but
one where the diversity of culture and experience will enrich
world society as a whole. I am reminded of a quote from
Abdu'l-Baha (in The Advent of Divine Justice): "Consider the
flowers of a garden, though differing in kind, colour, form and
shape, yet, in as much as they are refreshed by the waters of one
spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the
rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and addeth
unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers
and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the branches and
the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and colour !
Diversity of hues, form and shape enricheth and adorneth the
garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof."
I thank you.