Fwd: World Conference against Racis

[darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx]

>Envelope-to: darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: World Conference against Racism
>Date: Sat, 6 Nov 99 18:40:21 +0100
>From: imadrun <imadrun@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: "Hurights Osaka" <QQ4C-FJMT@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> "Doris Angst Yilmaz" <doris.angst@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> "David Arnott" <darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx>,
> "Stephan Auerbach" <ccsi.sos_racisme@xxxxxxx>,
> "Muriel Beck" <muriel.beck@xxxxxx>,
> "Kelly Dietz" <kdietz@xxxxxxxx>,
> "Jusfiq Hadjar" <jusfiq@xxxxxxxxxx>,
> "Isobelle Jaques" <Isobelle.JAQUES@xxxxxx>,
> "BLRI" <blri-2f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> "Kazuhiro Kawamoto" <kawamoto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> "Akio Kawamura" <kawamura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> "Yvonne  Lin Mei-Jung" <tgwwc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> "Saul  Takahashi" <stakahashi@xxxxxxx>
>
>A Call to Get Involved
>United Nations World Conference against Racism,
>Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, 2001
>
>WHAT?:  The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination,
>Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, 2001 (WCAR) will be the first United
>Nations world conference in the 21st Century and the third focusing on the
>elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination. A parallel
>NGO Forum will also be organized.
>
>WHEN?:  The Conference will be held for five days between May and early
>September 2001.
>
>WHERE?:  In Geneva unless another offer to host it is made by a UN member
>state by the time of the first PrepCom when the decision will be made.  A
>proposed venue is South Africa.
>
>PREPARATIONS:  The first UN Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) will be held 
>in
>Geneva from 1-5 May 2000, immediately following the 56th session of the
>Commission on Human Rights.The second PrepCom will take place in April/May
>2001.
>
>HOW  TO GET INVOLVED?
>An NGO meeting, held on 12 August 1999 in Geneva, decided to establish an
>NGO Planning Committee for the WCAR.  The Planning Committee is open to 
>all
>interested non-governmental organizations (NGOs),  with or without
>consultative status with the United Nations.  Its purpose is to facilitate
>active involvement and effective participation by NGOs in the preparatory
>process of the WCAR and in the Conference itself, as well as in the
>planning and carrying out of the parallel NGO Forum.
>
>HOW  TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE NGO PLANNING COMMITTEE
>NGOs wishing to become a member should write to:  NGO Planning Committee
>for theWCAR,  Case postale 50, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland. Fax: +(41 22)
>740 10 63.
>E-mail:  ngoforwcar@hotmail. com
>
>The membership fee of 100 Swiss francs should be paid by bank transfer to
>the account of :
>Conference of NGOs - WCAR, Union de Banque Suisse, account number:
>279C8-764,004.1.
>
>HOW  TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUBSTANTIVE PREPARATIONS
>* Join the NGO Planning Committee for the WCAR.
>* Make the WCAR known in your country.
>* Build coalitions in support of the WCAR and its objectives.
>* Intensify the struggle to combat racism.
>* Lobby governments to support the WCAR financially and politically.
>* Link up with, support and feed into regional and international networks
>to strengthen the struggle against racism and to support the WCAR. Keep 
>the
>NGO Planning Committee informed.
>* Contribute to the development of an NGO programme for, and input into 
>the
>WCAR and its preparatory process, within the framework of the objectives 
>of
>the WCAR and the issue areas identified by the NGO Planning Committee at
>its inaugural meeting on 12 August 1999.
>* Share your ideas and expectations of the WCAR with others and the NGO
>Planning Committee.
>
>The seven main objectives of the WCAR, as decided by the UN General
>Assembly, are:
>(a) To review progress made in the fight against racism, racial
>discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, in particular since 
>the
>adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to reappraise
>the obstacles to further progress in the field and ways to overcome them;
>
>(b) To consider ways and means to better ensure the application of 
>existing
>standards and the implementation of the existing instruments to combat
>racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;
>
>(c) To increase the level of awareness about the scourge of racism and
>racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;
>
>(d) To formulate concrete recommendations on ways to increase the
>effectiveness of the activities and mechanisms of the United Nations
>through programmes aimed at combating racism, racial discrimination,
>xenophobia and related intolerance;
>
>(e) To review the political, historical, economic, social, cultural and
>other factors leading to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and
>related intolerance;
>
>(f) To formulate concrete recommendations to further action-oriented
>national, regional and international measures to combat all forms of
>racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;
>
>(g) To draw up concrete recommendations for ensuring that the United
>Nations has the financial and other necessary resources for its actions to
>combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
>
>The issue areas identified so far by the NGO Planning Committee for the
>subtantive preparations for the Conference include:
>I.  Causes of racism and racial discrimination:
>    (economic factors; non-state actors; globalization; nationalism; slave
>trade and colonialism).
>II.  Forms of racism and racial discrimination:
>    (environmental; ethnic superiority; gender; health; ideologies;
>migrants; indigenous peoples).
>III. Tools to combat racism and racial discrimination:
>    (national evaluations; international instruments, their ratification
>and implementation; education; creation/improvement of anti-discrimination
>legislation; mechanisms for prevention; remedy and redress).
>
>THE INTERIM STEERING COMMITTEE
>The NGO Planning Committee named the Working Group for the WCAR of the
>Geneva-based NGO Sub-Committee against Racism and Racial Discrimination 
>and
>for Decolonization to serve as the interim Steering Committee whose tasks
>are to move NGO preparations forward.  A full Steering Committee will be
>elected at the next meeting of the NGO Planning Committee, to be held at
>the time of the first PrepCom  in May 2000.
>
>For information, please write to: NGO Planning Committee for the WCAR,
>Case postale 50, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.
>Fax: (+41 22) 740 10 63;  E-mail: ngoforwcar@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
>How you can contribute to the World Conference and its preparations -  A
>few practical examples:
>
>Awareness building and activities to combat racism and racial 
>discrimination
>
>*       In Japan, organizations are reaching out to others to form a
>national coalition to raise        public awareness of discrimination and
>xenophobia manifested in the country and work    toward their eradication.
>They will work for the implementation of the International    Convention 
>on
>the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination as one of the means.
>They will bring their experience to the World Conference and the NGO
>Forum to share     it with others.
>
>*       A few years ago, a group of experts convened by the United Nations
>developed a model law that, if used to implement national legislation,
>would go a long way to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia 
>and
>related intolerance. Try to get copies from the United Nations Office of
>the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, or 
>ask
>your nearest United Nations Information Centre. Bring it to the attention
>of your government or your Member(s) of Parliament to move the enacting of
>national legislation along the proposed lines.
>
>*       Guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of All
>Forms of Racial Discrimination, inform yourself of 'best practices' that
>have been used in your country to combat racism and racial discrimination.
>Share the experience with others directly or through the NGO Planning
>Committee for the WCAR. Consider organizing a workshop on 'best practices'
>in your locality and within the NGO Forum. Review CERD's reports regarding
>your country; they can be found at www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/cerd.htm
>
>*       Ask your Foreign Ministry for copies of the International
>Convention and use it in your work to eliminate racial discrimination and
>xenophobia.
>
>*       Lobby your government to make a generous financial contribution to
>the United Nations for the preparation and holding of the United Nations
>WCAR.
>
>*       Lobby your government to put resources into the national and
>regional preparations for the WCAR and to commit to taking concrete 
>actions
>to combat racism and racial discrimination. Among such actions can be the
>sponsoring of radio and T.V. campaigns to raise awareness of racist
>practices and teaching tolerance and good neigbourliness;  promote
>educational programmes in schools and in the community, etc.
>
>*       Lobby your government to institute training programmes for the
>police and prison personnel to respect diversity and overcome prejudice.
>
>Preparing in line with the seven objectives of the WCAR
>
>The NGO Sub-Committee against Racism and Racial Discrimination and for
>Decolonization (Geneva) proposed to the meeting of the UN Open-ended
>Working Group for the WCAR, in March 1999, a number of issues related to
>the objectives that in its members' views should be given attention by the
>world conference. The NGO Planning Committee proposes that we all work on
>these issues and any others that are important to deal with in our
>country,region or internationally.  Both the objectives and the issue 
>areas
>are listed in the attached CALL.  Although, for convenience, the issue
>areas are gruped under three headings, each stands on its own and around
>which actions can be built.
>Let the NGO Planning Committee know by the end of November 1999 on which
>issue(s) you  want to work. You are not limited to those listed in the
>Call, but all should be within the objectives of the World Conference. The
>NGO Planning Committee will make your interest(s) known to others  through
>e-mail lists, websites and mailings. It will put those interested in the
>same or similar topics in touch with one another to form working groups.
>It will be up to each group to decide on how it wants to work: have a
>convener or co-ordinator; organize a workshop or other activity at the the
>NGO Forum; draft a document that might serve as a basis for discussion at
>the workshop or be part of a possible joint NGO statement to the World
>Conference, and so on.
>
>The way of work is open at this stage of preparations. It will be up to 
>the
>NGOs to decide on how they want to structure the work when they meet next,
>which will be before or during the first session of the UN Preparatory
>Committee for the WCAR (1-5 May 2000 in Geneva).  We hope that by then you
>will have joined the NGO Planning Committee and will participate in the
>meeting.  Send us your proposals for the agenda and your ideas of how
>together we can best prepare  for the WCAR to make a difference.
>
>The Interim Steering Committee
>Geneva, October 1999
>
>
>Atsuko Tanaka
>UN Representative
>International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism 
>(IMADR)-UN Office
>150 route de Ferney
>C.P. 2100
>CH-1211 Geneva
>Switzerland
>
>tel.: (+41 22) 791 62 63
>fax: (+41 22) 791 64 80
>e-mail: imadrun@xxxxxxxxxxx
>        atsukot@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
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