10th anniversary of Durban conference: Meeting against racism set for U.N.

By Dolores Cox

Sep 22, 2011

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 2001 U.N. Durban (South Africa) World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. To commemorate the event there will be a high-level United Nations General Assembly meeting on racism in New York City on Sept. 22.

In 2001 the “Durban Declaration — Programme of Action” was adopted, declaring among other things that “slavery and the slave trade are crimes against humanity and should have always been so, especially the trans-Atlantic slave trade.” And, regarding the Palestinian struggle, Zionism was equated to racism.

Racial disparities were identified as evidence of discrimination against people of color, especially African Americans, with regard to housing, health, education, jobs and every area of life. The root causes and preventive measures that governments can take were also looked at. And global commitments to address the issues were made.

It was established that every five years a review of how far countries have come with regard to racism and discrimination would take place. However, this Durban II review conference was not held until 2009, eight years later. The venue for the conference was also changed from Durban to Geneva, Switzerland. As a result, many nongovernmental organizations, especially those based in developing countries, were unable to attend. In addition, funding for them was reduced.

The Durban II conference was held for the purpose of reviewing the Programme of Action, which called for strong anti-racism legislation, improved education on racism, and better remedies and resources for victims of racism. Assessment of the progress achieved by countries in combating racism was made. And what remained to be done to obtain justice, compensation and reconciliation was looked at.

Also raised was that governments should be obligated to address this racism. And the need to put pressure on government officials was stressed. NGOs and social justice advocates offered solutions. Global commitments to address issues were given and the 2001 Programme of Action was reaffirmed.

The theme of this year’s Sept. 22 meeting is “Victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance: recognition, justice and development.” The meeting has been reduced to a one-day plenary session, instead of the usual conference.

On this same day, however, U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has unilaterally scheduled a nuclear security summit. Additionally, Israel is spearheading a campaign against the Durban Declaration. Consequently, some countries will be boycotting the U.N. Meeting on Racism, including Germany, Canada, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, along with Israel and the U.S. The rest of the 193 member states are expected to actively participate. Ban Ki-moon has not spoken out against Israel’s campaign against the Declaration. This has resulted in a growing political controversy. A coalition of NGOs, referred to as the Durban+10 Coalition, is protesting the secretariat’s scheduling decision. Coalition members are the U.S. Human Rights Network, the National Lawyers Guild, the World Against Racism Network, the National Black United Front, the December 12th Movement, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Frantz Fanon Foundation and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network.

A statement released at the U.N. by the Durban+10 Coalition on Aug. 12 says it “unequivocally supports and embraces the advances embodied in the Durban Declaration Programme of Action and is dedicated to ensuring that the DDPA remains the cornerstone of the U.N.’s program to combat racism.

“We see the DDPA as central to pressuring the governments of the world to adopt and thoroughly implement national plans of action to eradicate racial discrimination, inequity, colonialism, xenophobia and related intolerances,” the statement continued.

The Coalition also accuses these countries of trying to “suppress the rights and demands of the many groups protected by the DDPA, including migrants, Indigenous peoples, African and African-descendant peoples for restitution and reparations, and those of the Palestinian people for self-determination.”

Once again, the U.S. is boycotting a World Conference Against Racism. How ironic that the U.S. is the host country, yet its Black president is supporting the boycott of the conference on racism. It did so at the 2009 Review Conference in Geneva and walked out of the 2001 conference in Durban. Considering that the U.S. was founded and thrived on the free labor of enslaved Africans and the genocide of Indigenous peoples, and including its dismal track record in combating racism, it is at least consistent, if nothing else.

A rally will take place Sept. 20 at the U.N. in support of the DDPA. Roger Wareham, a member of the International Secretariat of the December 12th Movement and the International Association Against Torture, stated in a Sept. 14 press release, as a motivation for the rally, “We will continue to organize people of African descent to struggle for our historically justifiable demand for reparations.”