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GENERAL E/CN.4/1999/WG.1/BP.1
9 March 1999
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Original: ENGLISH/FRENCH/SPANISH
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COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Fifty-fifth session
Sessional open-ended working group
to review and formulate proposals
for the World Conference against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and
Related Intolerance
THE DECLARATIONS AND PROGRAMMES OF ACTION ADOPTED BY THE FIRST (1978) AND THE SECOND (1983)
WORLD CONFERENCE TO COMBAT RACISM AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Document prepared by the Secretariat
WORLD CONFERENCE TO COMBAT RACISM AND RACIAL
DISCRIMINATION
The World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination was held at Geneva from 14 to 25 August 1978. The following Declaration and Program of Action were adopted in its final report. (United Nations Publication, Sales No. E. 79.XIV.2, chap.II)
Declaration
The World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,
Having met at Geneva from 14 to 25 August 1978 in accordance with General Assembly resolution 52/129,
Recalling that the Charter of the United Nations is based on the principles of the dignity and equality of all human beings and seeks among its basic objectives to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,
Further recalling the designation by the General Assembly of the period beginning on 10 December 1973 as the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial
Discrimination,
Bearing in mind the goals of the Decade, which are to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin, especially by eradicating racial prejudice, racism and racial discrimination, to arrest any expansion of racist policies, to eliminate the persistence of racist policies and to counteract the emergence of alliances based on mutual espousal of racism and racial discrimination; to resist any policy and practices which lead to the strengthening of the racist régimes and contribute to the sustainment of racism and racial discrimination; to identify, isolate and dispel the fallacious and mythical beliefs, policies and practices that contribute to racism and racial discrimination, and to put an end to racist régimes,
Determined to promote the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenants on Human Rights, the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (1958) of the International Labour Organisation and the Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
Endorsing the Programme of Action against Apartheid adopted by the General Assembly on 9 November 1976, the Lagos Declaration for Action against Apartheid (1977), the Maputo Declaration in Support of the Peoples of Zimbabwe and Namibia and Programme of Action for the Liberation of Zimbabwe and Namibia (1977), and the International Seminar on the Eradication of Apartheid and in Support of the Struggle for Liberation in South Africa, held at Havana, Cuba, in 1976,
Taking into account the relevant resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Organization of African Unity and those adopted by other international conferences, as well as the international instruments adopted by specialized agencies, in particular the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, concerning the struggle against racism, racial discrimination and apartheid,
Noting the vital need for the mass media to inform public opinion objectively about the liberation struggle in southern Africa,
Noting further with the gravest concern that racism, racial discrimination and apartheid, which continue to afflict the world, are crimes against the conscience and dignity of mankind, and constitute serious dangers which will inevitably lead to greater conflict with enormous repercussions on international peace and security,
Considering that racism and racial discrimination are serious violations of fundamental human rights and that for the full enjoyment of these rights, which are indivisible and interdependent, national and international actions are required to improve the living conditions of men and women of all nations, at the political, economic, social and cultural level,
Having reviewed national, regional and international activities undertaken in the first half of the Decade,
Inspired by the spirit of the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the International Anti-Apartheid Year to redouble the efforts of the international community to eliminate all forms of racism and racial discrimination,
Recognizing that the economic and social injustices emanating from racism, racial discrimination and apartheid call for all-out and continuous efforts to eradicate the root causes of these evils,
Stressing the importance of action at the national and local level, including adequate recourse procedures, for the effective elimination of racism and racial discrimination, Determined that these evils perpetrated against the dignity of the human being shall be eradicated and that the danger which they constitute to harmonious relations and international security shall be thereby removed,
Solemnly declares:
1. Any doctrine of racial superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous, and has no justification whatsoever;
2. All peoples and all human groups have contributed to the progress of civilization and cultures which constitute the common heritage of humanity;
3. All forms of discrimination and, in particular, governmental policies based on the theory of racial superiority, exclusiveness or hatred are a violation of fundamental
human rights and jeopardize friendly relations among peoples, co-operation between nations and international peace and security;
4. Apartheid, the extreme form of institutionalized racism, is a crime against humanity and an affront to the dignity of mankind and is a threat to peace and security in the
world;
5. Violation of human rights, denial of the right of peoples under colonial or foreign domination to self-determination, foreign occupation, alien domination, economic and
political oppression, social injustice and cultural contempt are root causes of discrimination and tension;
6. Racist régimes must be further isolated and United Nations sanctions against these régimes must be implemented strictly and faithfully by all States, as assistance
and collaboration in economic, military and other fields constitute an impediment to the liberation of southern Africa; it is an obligation of Governments to create the
necessary conditions in order that the transnational corporations cease:
(a) To grant any assistance and support to the racist régimes of Pretoria and Salisbury;
(b) To exploit the peoples of southern Africa and the natural resources in their countries;
7. All those who profit from racist domination and exploitation in South Africa, or assist the apartheid régime, or facilitate the propaganda in favour of apartheid, are
accomplices in the perpetuation of this crime against humanity;
8. Support for and solidarity with all oppressed peoples and their national liberation movements, recognized by regional organizations, front-line countries which are
victims of racist régimes and all victims of racism and racial discrimination, colonialism and apartheid, should be a commitment of all Governments and all international and
regional organizations;
9. The proscription of racism and racial discrimination by law should be complemented by vigorous efforts to ensure equality in the economic, social and cultural fields;
10. The Conference expresses its deep concern that many neo-Nazi and fascist organizations have stepped up their activities which have encouraged tendencies towards
racism and racial discrimination;
11. Education and information can be transmitters of racial prejudices, but can also be efficient means of action to combat racism and racial discrimination; the
Conference supports the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for a more efficient utilization of education and information to combat
racism and racial prejudice; it is also the responsibility of all Governments to educate their people, especially children and youth, by all available means to promote their
awareness of the evils of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid and to ensure respect for the dignity and worth of all human beings;
12. Bearing in mind that racism, racial discrimination and apartheid are gross violations of human rights with, inter alia, negative effect stemming from serious inequalities
in the fields of education, health, nutrition, housing, job opportunities and cultural development, national, regional and international action to combat and eradicate the
causes of such policies and practices and to ensure the full enjoyment of the above rights should include measures aimed at improving the living conditions of men and
women of all nations at the political, economic, social and cultural levels;
13. The elimination of racial discrimination being an imperative norm of the international community, the exercise of competing rights such as freedom of association or
expression cannot be used as justifying the propagation of racist ideas; Governments have a duty to ensure that priority is given in their national legislation to prohibiting
racial discrimination and to proscribing the dissemination, including dissemination through mass media, of racist ideas and also to actively discouraging any propaganda
supporting racism and racist régimes, in accordance with article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
14. In southern Africa, the most extreme form of racism, compounded by settler colonialism, has led to the worst form of exploitation and human degradation;
15. The creation of bantustans is a diabolical manoeuvre designed to dispossess the African people of their land and to consolidate the political and economic white
settler domination which the world community should continue to reject and condemn;
16. Co-operation with the apartheid régime in the military and nuclear fields, especially by the provision of training, the supply of equipment and fissionable material, the
construction of nuclear facilities and the transfer of any form of nuclear technology to South Africa, is a threat to international peace and security;
17. The so-called internal settlement in Southern Rhodesia is a blatant attempt to split the national liberation movement to foment civil war and to perpetuate racist
minority rule and cannot be an acceptable solution to the problem of Zimbabwe;
18. The Conference condemns the existing and increasing relations between the zionist State of Israel and the racist régime of South Africa, in particular those in the
economic and military fields, and deplores and warns against co-operation between them in the nuclear field; it particularly deplores the expansion and intensification of
those relations at the time when the international community exerts all its efforts towards the objective of completely isolating the racist régime of South Africa; the
Conference views this co-operation as an act of deliberate choice, and a hostile act against the oppressed people of South Africa, as well as a defiance of the resolutions of
the United Nations and the efforts of the society of nations to ensure freedom and peace in southern Africa; the Conference also notes with concern the insidious
propaganda by the Government of Israel and its zionist and other supporters against the United Nations organs and against Governments which had advocated firm action
against apartheid;
19. The Conference recalls with deep regret the cruel tragedy which befell the Palestinian people 30 years ago and which they continue to endure today - manifested in
their being prevented from exercising their right to self-determination on the soil of their homeland, in the dispersal of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, the prevention
of their return to their homes, and the establishment therein of settlers from abroad, and in the practice of diverse forms of racial discrimination against Palestinians
affecting all aspects of their daily lives in a manner which prevents their enjoyment of their elementary human rights on a basis of equality; the Conference expresses its
grave concern over this continuing situation and deplores Israel's refusal to comply with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and it calls for the cessation of all
practices of racial discrimination to which Palestinians, as well as other inhabitants of the Arab territories occupied by Israel, are beings subjected; the Conference voices
its hope that the Palestinian people will soon have the opportunity to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the
United Nations on the question of Palestine, and proclaims its solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation and against racial discrimination;
20. The Conference recognizes that persons belonging to national, ethnic and other minorities can play a significant role in the promotion of international co-operation and
understanding and affirms that national protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
in particular its article 27, is essential to enable them to fulfil this role; the Conference stresses that granting persons belonging to majority groups the opportunity to
participate fully in the political, economic and social life of their country can contribute to the promotion of understanding, co-operation and harmonious relations between
the different groups living in a country; the Conference also recognizes that in certain cases special protection of minority rights may be called for, in particular by the
adoption of effective measures in favour of particularly disadvantaged minority groups; the Conference endorses the action taken so far by the competent United Nations
bodies to protect persons belonging to minorities and is confident that the future action currently envisaged will appropriately enhance the international protection of the
rights of persons belonging to minorities; in the promotion and guarantee of the rights of persons belonging to minorities, there should be strict respect for the sovereignty
territorial integrity and political independence of the countries where they live, and of non-interference in their internal affairs;
21. The Conference endorses the right of indigenous peoples to maintain their traditional structure of economy and culture, including their own language, and also
recognizes the special relationship of indigenous peoples to their land and stresses that their land, land rights and natural resources should not be taken away from them;
22. The Conference is aware that, whenever there is racial discrimination, women are often doubly discriminated against; consequently, special efforts are called for to
eliminate the effects of racial discrimination on the status of women, and to secure, for women who are victims of unjust racial patterns, their basic human rights and their
full participation in the political and economic life of their societies;
23. The Conference urges national and international bodies concerned to consider specifically the psychological and physical consequences for children who are victims
of racial discrimination, and to take care that special measures to counteract these effects axe included in the activities of and the follow up to the International Year of the
Child, 1979;
24. The Conference stresses the urgent need to protect the rights of immigrants, migrant workers, including all those who are undocumented, and their families all over
the world; States should ensure that their legislative, administrative and other practices fully conform to international standards protecting the rights of migrant workers and
of their families; the social, economic and other causes of discriminatory measures or attitudes still existing against all migrant workers and their families should be
carefully studied;
25. The Conference requests, through the General Assembly, that the Security Council give effect to the goals and objectives of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism
and Racial Discrimination by taking urgent action to implement the Declaration and the Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference to Combat Racism and
Racial Discrimination;
26. States, international organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, local and private institutions, religious institutions and trade unions are called
upon to ensure the total and effective realization of the goals and objectives of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and racial Discrimination;
27. To this end, the World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination adopts the following Programme of Action;
Programme of Action
Measures at the national level
1. The Conference calls upon all Governments, to the extent that they have not already done so, to ensure that legislative, judicial, administrative and other measures are
adopted to prohibit in their respective countries any manifestations of racism and racial discrimination, regardless of whether or not discriminatory practices prevail. Action
taken at the national level should include:
(i) wider and stricter national legislation to implement all United Nations sponsored instruments and conventions;
(ii) The elimination of all discriminatory laws, prejudices and practices based on race, descent, colour, national and ethnic origin and in particular on
property qualifications and literacy and language requirements in the exercise of political, economic, social and cultural rights;
(iii) The creation of adequate domestic recourse procedures of a judicial and/or administrative character which could be effectively resorted to by individuals
complaints of racism or racial discrimination;
(iv) The encouragement through national legislation of the use, by national courts and institutions, of instruments of the United Nations and specialized
agencies related to racism and racial discrimination, especially as the principle of non-discrimination has become an imperative norm of international law;
(v) The adoption of strict legislation to declare an offence punishable by law all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred and to prohibit
organizations based on racial prejudice and hatred, including private clubs and institutions established on the basis of racial criteria or propagating ideas of
racial discrimination and apartheid, as provided for in article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
(vi) The adoption, with due regard to the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of legal and other measures against any
dissemination of information or ideas of racial or ethnic superiority or national hatred through published material or by mass media and aimed at other racial or
ethnic groups, as well as at other nations, especially by taking all the necessary measures against the operation of propaganda organizations of the racist
régimes and of private organizations which advocate them;
(vii) The publication and wide distribution of the resolutions and decisions of United Nations organs concerning racism, racial discrimination, apartheid and
decolonization and of the results, conclusions and recommendations of conferences and seminars dealing with those policies and practices;
(viii) The taking of all necessary measures by all States, all their national sports organizations and individuals within their jurisdiction to prohibit racial
discrimination in sports and to disallow any sports contacts with the racist régimes of southern Africa or with racially selected teams and individuals from the
racist régimes of southern Africa and to promote sports activities with no trace of racial distinction whatsoever;
(ix) The prohibition of any kind of racial discrimination in laws, administrative and other measures regulating immigration;
(x) The initiation of and support for campaigns aimed at mobilizing national public opinion against the evils of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid,
through adequate programmes in the mass media, publishing activities, research seminars and media coverage and therein seeking the co-operation of
students and youth organizations, trade unions, employers' organizations, farmers, and religious and professional organizations;
(xi) Ratification of or accession to as soon as possible, the international instruments adopted under the aegis of the United Nations and specialized
agencies, such as the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), the International Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (1966), the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (1973), the Discrimination (Employment
and Occupation) Convention (1958) of the International Labour Organisation and the Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960) of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization;
(xii) Consideration of the possibility of making the declaration envisaged in article 14, paragraph 1, of the International Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial Discrimination, by which a State party to the Convention recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination to receive and consider communications from individuals or groups of individuals within its jurisdiction claiming to be victims of violations by the
State party of any of the rights set forth in the Convention;
(xiii) Compliance with the reporting requirements called for by the United Nations or by the relevant conventions and, whenever applicable, the inclusion in
their reports of the problems encountered by States in ratifying these conventions, with a view to soliciting appropriate legal and/or technical assistance from
the advisory services programme in the field of human rights to counter and resolve such problems.
2. The Conference recognizes that action against racism would be more effective if it were combined with determined efforts in the field of education at all levels. The
Conference therefore urges Governments to design school curricula and other educational programmes exposing the myths and fallacies of all theories, philosophies,
ideas, attitudes and practices based on differences of race, colour, descent, ethnic or national origin. The Conference also urges States to provide adequate opportunities in
schools and institutions of higher learning for the study of United Nations measures to combat racism.
3. The Conference urges States also to disseminate educational material, against racism through institutions other than formal educational institutions; for example, youth
movements, women's organizations, trade unions; art and drama societies, etc. To this end, the Conference urges States to choose procedures of instruction that are
appropriate to their respective countries. Consideration should also be given to ways and means through which communication media and non-governmental organizations
may be encouraged to propagate the goals and objectives of the programme for the Decade.
4. The Conference calls on all States which have not yet done so:
(a) To take effective legislative and other measures, including those in the field of penal law, to prevent the recruitment, training and other activities of mercenaries for
assistance to the racist régimes in southern Africa and to punish such mercenaries as common criminals;
(b) To refrain from any relations with the authorities in the bantustans established by the apartheid régime and to prevent any collaboration by corporations within their
jurisdiction with those authorities;
(c ) To prevent transnational corporations and other vested interests from collaborating with the racist régimes in southern Africa.
5. The Conference, considering that the inhuman policies of apartheid and similar policies of forced racial segregation and systematic discrimination are practised by an
oppressive minority group against the overwhelming majority in southern Africa once again calls upon all States to take immediate and effective measures to put an end to
such policies and practices.
6. The Conference urges all States to abolish and prohibit any discrimination among their citizens on the ground of their ethnic or national origin and to protect and
promote the human rights of persons belonging to national and ethnic minorities, in accordance with the international Covenants on Human Rights and in particular article
27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as relevant articles of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination and other international instruments.
7. The Conference also recommends that States adopt specific measures in the economic, social, educational and cultural fields and in the matter of civil and political rights, in order that all persons may enjoy legal and factual equality and that discrimination between majorities and minorities may be eliminated. Such specific measures should include appropriate assistance to persons belonging to minority groups, to enable them to develop their own culture and to facilitate their full development, in particular in the fields of education, culture and employment.
8. The Conference urges States to recognize the following rights of indigenous peoples:
(a) To call themselves by their proper name and to express freely their ethnic, cultural and other characteristics;
(b) To have an official status and to form their own representative organizations;
(c) To carryon within their areas of settlement their traditional structure of economy and way of life; this should in no way affect their right to participate freely on an
equal basis in the economic, social and political development of the country;
(d) To maintain and use their own language, wherever possible, for administration and education;
(e) To receive education and information in their own language, with due regard to their needs as expressed by themselves, and to disseminate information regarding
their needs and problems.
9. Funds should be made available by the authorities for investments, the uses of which are to be determined with the participation of the indigenous peoples themselves,
in the economic life of the areas concerned, as well as in all spheres of cultural activity.
10. The Conference urges States to allow indigenous peoples within their territories to develop cultural and social links with their own kith and kin everywhere, with strict
respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence and non-interference in the internal affairs of those countries in which the indigenous peoples live.
11. The Conference further urges States to facilitate and support the establishment of representative international organizations for indigenous peoples, through which
they can share experiences and promote common interests.
12. States receiving migrant workers should eliminate all discriminatory practices against such workers and their families by giving them treatment no less favourable
than that accorded to their own nationals. This should include, inter alia, such fields as vocational training, the types of posts which migrants may occupy, the type of
contracts accorded to migrant workers, the right to reside in any part of the country, regulations governing working conditions, trade union activity and access to judicial
and administrative tribunals to air grievances concerning discrimination.
13. The Conference also recommends that States:
(i) Ensure that migrant workers are given the opportunity to assemble and to establish organizations, as well as be given assistance to facilitate
communication in their own languages, so as to enable them to articulate their views and promote their specific interests;
(ii) Consider the extension of the franchise in local elections, or any other forms of participation in public life, to migrants already resident in the country for
a reasonable period;
(iii) Recognize that the right of family reunion is a fundamental right;
(iv) Encourage the solution of housing problems in order to ensure that family reunion may proceed in a harmonious manner;
(v) Undertake the full assessment of the condition of the children of migrant workers, including those of the second generation, with the aim of ensuring for
them real equality of treatment in all fields, including professional life, by taking into consideration the adoption of special measures in the field of education;
(vi) Ensure for migrant workers equality of treatment in the field of social security, including the right to a retirement pension and similar social rights;
(vii) Take effective measures in the field of health care, and in particular, remedy the under-utilization by migrant workers of social and health services by
making them fully aware of their rights and helping them to overcome linguistic barriers;
(viii) Take all necessary measures, in particular by using the information media to the fullest possible extent, in order to bring about increased awareness of
public opinion in host countries of the contribution of migrant workers to the economic growth and the socio-cultural development of these countries and also
to stimulate an atmosphere of mutual understanding;
(ix) Promote the creation of administrative structures making possible a greater awareness and better understanding of the problems of migrant workers,
which is likely to facilitate solutions to these problems;
(x) Ratify or accede to the international instruments, in particular the relevant conventions of the International Labour Organisation, aimed at protecting
migrants from discrimination, and consider the. possibility of adopting an international convention on the rights of migrant workers;
(xi) Pay special attention to the gross inhumanity of the migrant labour system as practised in South Africa, which is a further manifestation of apartheid,
and in this regard bear in mind the conclusions of the Conference on Migratory Labour in southern Africa, held at Lusaka in April 1978;
(xii) Adopt in the field of education special measures in favour of the children of migrant workers;
(xiii) Permit children of migrant workers, as well as their parents, to benefit from all the opportunities which are needed in the field of education in order to
ensure their full participation in the life of society in the host country and give them also all the opportunities to preserve their cultural identity.
14. The Conference calls on States to eliminate, through legislation and administrative measures, all discrimination practices against members of immigrant
communities. They should ensure that immigrants and their families are given treatment which is no less favourable than that accorded to nationals of the host country in
matters such as education, employment, the acquisition of property, health and housing facilities, travel within and outside the country, etc. To this end, the Conference
urges all States to review the totality of their legal and administrative provisions relating to immigration and to members, of immigrant communities, in order to make sure
that all measures and practices that are discriminatory or have a discriminatory effect are totally eliminated. In particular, the Conference urges States:
(i) To ensure that immigrants enjoy the right to assemble and to form their own organizations for the promotion of their specific interests;
(ii) To recognize the right to family reunion as a fundamental right;
(iii) To ensure that immigrants enjoy the right to social security, retirement pensions and similar social rights;
(iv) To take appropriate measures to bring about greater awareness among the people of the host country of the contribution of immigrant communities to
the social, economic and cultural development of the country concerned;
(v) To consider the possibility of an international convention on the rights of immigrants.
B. Measures at the international level
15. The Conference proclaims that racism, racial discrimination and apartheid in all their manifestations are crimes against the conscience and dignity of mankind, and
must be eradicated by effective international action. It reaffirms the special responsibility of the United Nations and the international community to the oppressed peoples of
South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Palestine and their liberation movements. The Conference requests the Security Council to consider urgently the imposition of
comprehensive and mandatory sanctions, under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, against the apartheid régime of South Africa and the racist régimes of
southern Africa, and in particular:
(i) The cessation of all collaboration with South Africa in the nuclear field;
(ii) The prohibition of all technological assistance or collaboration in the manufacture of arms and military supplies in South Africa;
(iii) The prohibition of all loans to and investments in South Africa and the termination of all promotion of trade with South Africa;
(iv) An embargo on the supply of petroleum, petroleum products and other strategic commodities to South Africa.
16. The Conference calls on all States, intergovernmental organizations, private institutions and non-governmental organizations to render increased political and material
assistance to the oppressed peoples of southern Africa and their liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity, to continue to take all necessary
measures to ensure the termination of all economic collaboration with racist régimes, to seek all possible means of preventing the supply of funds, loans, credits, foreign
exchange, trade and all financial support to the economies of South Africa, Rhodesia and Namibia from private banks, Governments and international agencies such as the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation and the International Monetary Fund and similar institutions and to refrain
from taking any action which might imply recognition, or support for, the illegal domination of the territories by those régimes. In this connection, the Conference cautions
against unilateral attempts to relax the application of the sanctions already imposed by the Security Council.
17. The Conference calls for international assistance to front-line States in Africa subjected to threats and acts of aggression by the racist and apartheid régimes in
southern Africa.
18. The Conference urges the United Nations system to consider:
(i) Proclaiming that racism and apartheid constitute a matter of the highest priority to the international community and asking all specialized, agencies to
contribute to the maximum in their respective areas towards the eradication of these evils;
(ii) Establishing training institutes for South Africa and Zimbabwe similar in nature and purpose to the Institute for Namibia;
(iii) Instituting a 24-hour radio programme directed to southern Africa, in order to grant radio facilities to the national liberation movements recognized by the
Organization of African Unity to enable them to broadcast to their respective countries information on their struggle against the racist régimes of southern
Africa;
(iv) Adopting measures to guarantee, through special conventions or other provisions, asylum and transit facilities to those who desert from the armed
forces of the racist régimes in southern Africa on grounds of conscience or who are forced to leave because of their opposition to apartheid.
19. The Conference calls upon the International Monetary Fund and other international financial institutions to take all necessary action to terminate credits to South
Africa.
20. The Conference declares that captured freedom fighters who are members of the national liberation movements recognized by Organization of African Unity should be
entitled to prisoner-of-war status in accordance with the relevant Geneva Conventions.
21. Conference calls upon the United Nations, all States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations to step up campaigns that ensure the
release of all political prisoners imprisoned by racist régimes for their valiant fight against apartheid, racism and racial discrimination and for the rights of their peoples to
self-determination and independence.
22. The Conference recommends that existing United Nations studies on questions of discrimination, notably the Study on Discrimination in Education, should be updated
periodically and new studies should be initiated. In this respect the Conference recommends that;
(i) The Secretary-General of the United Nations should prepare a study analysing the link between the struggle for the elimination of racism and the struggle
for decolonization and self-determination;
(ii) The Secretary-General should also prepare a study on the link between racial discrimination and inequalities in the levels of education, nutrition, health,
housing and cultural development;
(iii) The study of the problems of migrant workers should be continued by the various organs within the united Nations system, as well as by Governments,
especially as regards racial discrimination encountered by migrants and their families; in particular an in-depth study should be made by the
Secretary-General of the types and causes of discrimination against migrant workers and of specific measures which could be taken to combat them;
(iv) The Secretary-General should study the nature and types of recourse procedures available to migrant workers for the airing of grievances stemming from
racial discrimination; particular attention should be given to migrant workers who are either stateless or who have no home Government, embassy or
consulate to represent them.
23. The Ad Hoc Working Group of Experts on southern Africa should be requested to study ways and means for the application of international instruments, such as the
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, which declares that the policies of apartheid and racism constitute a crime against
humanity.
24. Taking into account the recommendation of the United Nations Symposium on the Exploitation of the Blacks in South Africa and Namibia and on Prison Conditions in
the South African Jails, held in Lesotho in July 1978, concerning the special impact of the system of apartheid on children and young people, competent United Nations
organs should inquire into the imprisonment, torture, abandonment, malnutrition and lack of educational facilities which contribute to infant mortality and retard the proper
development of black children and young people.
25. Taking into account the United Nations Decade for Women, the Conference recommends that the United Nations, the specialized agencies and in particular the
Commission on the Status of Women produce research studies and educational material on the situation of women living under racist régimes in southern Africa,
especially under apartheid, and on that of women in the occupied Arab and other territories.
26. Taking into account the International Year of the Child, 1979, the Conference recommends that the General Assembly produce a special study on the situation of
children living under racist régimes in southern Africa, especially under apartheid and on that of children in the occupied Arab and other territories.
27. The Conference reiterates that apartheid, racism and all forms of racial discrimination are among the most serious obstacles to the attainment of equality and
economic justice for many economically developing countries. It therefore calls upon the United Nations and urges the developing and developed countries to undertake
seriously the task to be accomplished and to take positive steps towards the establishment of a new international economic order as envisaged in the programmes and
resolutions of the United Nations, particularly those adopted by the General Assembly at its sixth and seventh special sessions.
28. The Conference requests the International Labour Organisation to set up an ad hoc group of experts to follow closely the implementation of the provisions of
international instruments protecting the rights of migrant workers, and to consider the possibility of holding further regional and international seminars on the subject of
racial discrimination encountered by migrant workers.
29. The Conference recommends that the United Nations Institute for Training and Research should organize an international colloquium on the prohibition of apartheid,
racism and racial discrimination and the achievement of self-determination in international law, paying special attention to the principles of non-discrimination and
self-determination as imperative norms of international law.
30. The Conference expresses its appreciation of the valuable work done by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and of its great contribution to the
elimination of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid, takes note of its decisions and general recommendations, and invites the General Assembly to continue to
support the work of the Committee and to consider the ways and means for the implementation of those decisions and recommendations.
31. The Conference recommends the Commission on Human Rights to continue its attempts to prepare an international instrument for the protection of the rights of
persons belonging to minorities.
32. Bearing in mind the recommendations of the Lesotho Symposium referred to in paragraph 24 above and recognizing that apartheid systematically deprives the blacks
of all contact with other cultures, the competent United Nations organs should be urged to undertake projects geared to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the
blacks, to ensure their contacts with other cultures and to stimulate their creativity.
33. The Conference recommends that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization continue its efforts and give more assistance to Member
States to take measures for:
(i) Ensuring the access of ethnic minorities to education and information; in particular, news broadcasts should not only be designed for the ethnic
minorities and racial groups but should also be devised and produced by members of such minorities and groups;
(ii) Developing intercultural education and the dialogue between culturally and internationally oriented education; furthermore, schools should present the
cultures of the different countries and the different communities of the same country, with a view to a mutually profitable cultural dialogue; in this context,
members of ethnic minorities and racial Groups should themselves have the opportunity to initiate the pupils in the practices and values of their own culture;
(iii) Organizing multimedia campaigns to combat racism and racial discrimination, using the press, radio, television, posters, booklets, etc.
C. Measures at the regional level
34. The Conference recommends all States to co-operate in making concerted and determined- efforts, on a regional as well as an international basis, to combat racism,
racial discrimination and apartheid.
35. The Conference recommends to the General Assembly that it invite the Secretary-General to organize in each of the United Nations regions, during the second half of
the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, regional seminars on recourse procedures available at the national or local level to persons who are
victims of racism or racial discrimination and to study the feasibility of regional programmes of action to combat racism and racial discrimination.
36. The Conference recommends that the States in different regions extend invitations to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to hold sessions in
these different regions, in order to increase awareness of and interest in its activities.
D. Support to victims of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid
37. The Conference calls upon all Governments, specialized agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to:
(1) Continue and increase assistance on a bilateral and multilateral basis to peoples who are victims of racial discrimination, colonialism, occupation and foreign
domination, and in particular assistance to:
(a) Persons persecuted for their opposition to apartheid;
(b) Refugees from southern Africa;
(c) National liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity in the cause of their legitimate struggle for freedom;
(2) Support programmes (national, regional and international) designed to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination, and to provide financial and technical assistance
to such programmes;
(3) Contribute, in their own spheres of activities and in co-operation with the liberation movements, to redressing the social imbalance between the sexes caused by
colonialism or racist régimes, so as to ensure an active role for women in the development process and in the important task of reconstructing their societies;
(4) Grant scholarships to young people of both sexes in the territories where racial discrimination, colonialism, occupation and foreign domination prevail, in particular
through increased contributions to the United Nations Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa;
(5) Deny all military, economic, political, diplomatic or other assistance to the racist régimes, because such assistance enables and encourages these régimes to
enforce and perpetuate their racist policies;
(6) Ensure that all United Nations resolutions relevant to the isolation of the racist régimes in southern Africa are fully implemented;
(7) Take all necessary action to put a stop to the activities of multinational corporations, transactions and other investments, in territories subject to any form of
racism, racial discrimination, colonialism and foreign domination;
(8) Make generous contributions to the Trust Fund for Publicity against Apartheid and increase contributions to funds for assistance to the oppressed peoples of
southern Africa.
38. The Conference requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to continue to intensify his efforts for assisting the refugees in southern Africa.
39. The Conference recommends that the General Assembly study the possibility of the establishment of an international fund on a voluntary basis to help the peoples
and national liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity struggling against racial discrimination and apartheid, bearing in mind the following
guidelines:
(i) The objectives of the fund would be to provide world-wide assistance to victims of racial discrimination and to those who wish to take effective action to
combat racism and racial discrimination; the fund should work in close co-ordination and co-operation with existing funds, such as the United Nations Trust
Fund for Southern Africa, the United Nations Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa and the Trust Fund for Publicity against Apartheid, and
should implement the objectives of the Programme for the Decade especially through concrete projects designed for the attainment of the goals of the
Decade;
(ii) Past experience of the United Nations in establishing similar funds could be used in finalizing the scope of the activities of the fund, its management and
co-ordination with existing funds, the United Nations system and the appropriate regional organizations.
Generous contributions to the fund by Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and by individuals would be a major support in the attainment of the Goals of the Programme of the Decade.
E. Role of the Economic and Social Council
40. The Conference recommends that, in order to evaluate the activities of the Decade as required by paragraph 18 of the Programme for the Decade, the Economic and
Social Council may consider the possibility of setting up a working group of experts to assist it in this task.
41. The Conference further recommends that the Economic and Social Council confer consultative status on the World Conference of Indigenous Peoples, in accordance
with the procedures laid down by Council resolution 1296 (XLIV) of 23 May 1968.
F. Further review of the progress of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination
42. The Conference further recommends to the General Assembly that at the end of the Decade another World Conference should be held to review and evaluate the work
undertaken during the Decade and to chart new measures where necessary.
15th Plenary meeting
25 August 1978
.
SECOND WORLD CONFERENCE TO COMBAT RACISM RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
The Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination was held at Geneva from 1 to 12 August 1983. The following Declaration and Program of
Action were adopted in its final report (United Nations Publication, Sales No. E.83.XIV.4, chap.II).
Declaration
The Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination
Having met at Geneva from 1 to 12 August 1983 in accordance with General Assembly resolution 37/41, and marking the culmination of the decade for Action to Combat
Racism and Racial Discrimination,
Recalling that the Charter of the United Nations is based on the principles of the dignity and equality of all human beings and seeks among its basic objectives to achieve
international co-operation in solving international problems of a political, economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,
Further recalling that the General Assembly designated the ten-year period beginning on 10 December 1973 as the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial
Discrimination, 5/
Recalling also the first World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, held in 1978 in Geneva,
Reaffirming the goals of the Decade: to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, descent, or national or
ethnic origin, especially to resist all policies and practices that contribute to the strengthening of racism, racial discrimination or apartheid; to identify, isolate and dispel the
fallacious and mythical beliefs, policies and practices that contribute to racism, racial discrimination and apartheid; and to counteract the emergence of alliances based on
mutual espousal of racism and racial discrimination,
Having reviewed national, regional and international activities undertaken in the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,
Determined to promote the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Covenants on Human Rights, the
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (1958) of the International Labour Organisation and the Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) of
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
Endorsing the programmes of Action Against apartheid adopted by the International Conference on Sanctions Against South Africa, held in Paris from 20 to 27 May 1981,
6/ and the International Conference in Support of the Struggle of the Namibian People for Independence, held in Paris from 25 to 29 April 1983,7/
Considering that racism and racial discrimination are serious violations of fundamental human rights and that for the full enjoyment of these rights, which are indivisible and
interdependent, national and international actions are required to improve the living conditions of men and women of all nations, at the political, economic, social and
cultural level,
Noting with the gravest concern that apartheid, which is a crime against humanity, as well as racism and racial discrimination, which are an affront to the conscience and
dignity of mankind, continue to afflict the world and pose a serious danger of greater conflict and increased international tension,
Recognizing that the economic and social injustices emanating from racism, racial discrimination and apartheid call for all-out and continuous efforts to eradicate the root
causes of these evils,
Affirming the importance of education, teaching and training for the elimination of racism and racial discrimination which, in particular, should expose the myths and
erroneous theories inherent in racism and racial discrimination,
Affirming its conviction that the mass media can provide dominated groups with the means of expressing themselves and can thereby contribute to understanding and to a
respect for differences,
Recognizing the importance of the support given to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by 121 States and the additional
support provided by States declaring their recognition of the competence of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to receive communications from
individuals and groups of individuals,
Reaffirming its appeal to States which have not yet become parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to do so as part
of their contribution to the objectives of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and its conviction that until such States ratify the Convention
they should utilize the provisions of the Convention as guidelines in combating racial discrimination and in securing the realization of the principle of equality at both the
national and international levels,
Recognizing the central importance of national legislative, judicial and administrative action to combat racial discrimination, and the specific value of recourse procedures
for the implementation of human rights norms,
Recognizing that persons belonging to national, ethnic and other minorities are protected under the relevant international instruments, in particular under the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including its article 27, and that continued
vigilance is required to obviate any measures which discriminate against such groups and that United Nations initiatives in respect of the rights of persons belonging to
minorities and indigenous populations merit the widest support,
Recognizing that in order to achieve the aim of conducting an effective struggle against racism and racial discrimination it is necessary to work for the immediate
establishment of a just and equitable international order and that, to that end, the establishment of a new international economic order would be a very important step in
combating the causes that give rise to racism and racial discrimination,
Recognizing that international co-operation is an essential condition for effectively combating racism, racial discrimination and apartheid,
Recognizing the rights of indigenous populations as laid down in existing international instruments,
Recognizing that apartheid is a deliberate policy of the racist white minority to ensure and perpetuate the exploitation and degradation of the black majority in South Africa,
Solemnly reaffirms and declares that:
1. All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights. Any doctrine of racial superiority is, therefore, scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and
dangerous, and has no justification whatsoever;
2. Racism and racial discrimination are continuing scourges which must be eradicated throughout the world;
3. Consequently, national, regional and international educational resources should be developed and used in ways which will promote mutual understanding between all
human beings and demonstrate and teach the scientific basis of ethnic and racial equality and the value of cultural diversity with a view to destroying the basis of racist
attitudes and practices
4. All peoples and all human groups have contributed to the progress of civilization and cultures which constitute the common heritage of humanity;
5. All forms of discrimination are violations of fundamental human rights, and governmental policies which are based on the theory of racial superiority, exclusiveness or
hatred also jeopardize friendly relations among peoples and co-operation between nations, and thereby jeopardize international peace and security;
6. Apartheid as an institutionalized form of racism is a deliberate and totally abhorrent affront to the conscience and dignity of mankind, a crime against humanity and a
threat to international peace and security;
7. In South Africa the most extreme form of racism has led to a form of exploitation and degradation which is in clear contradiction to the principle of human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as provided for in the Charter of the United Nations;
8. The creation of bantustans is an inhuman policy designed to dispossess the African people of their land, deprive them of their citizenship and consolidate the political
and economic domination of the minority white population of South Africa; this policy has been condemned by the international community, and should continue to be
rejected and condemned;
9. United Nations sanctions against the racist South African régime must be implemented strictly and faithfully by all States in order to isolate it further. Assistance and
collaboration in the economic, military, nuclear and other fields constitutes an impediment to the struggle against apartheid. It is the obligation of all Governments to
develop appropriate legislation and regulations that would prevent transnational corporations from following those practices which assist and support the racist régime in
Pretoria or which exploit the natural resources and people of South Africa and Namibia
10. All those who contribute to the maintenance of the system of apartheid are accomplices in the perpetuation of this crime;
11. The Conference commends the selfless efforts of the people of South Africa and Namibia under the leadership of their national liberation movements for national
independence and the establishment of a non-racial democratic society. It also reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggles and calls upon the international community to
increase its moral, political and material support to these peoples;
12. Support should be provided to national liberation movements recognized by their respective regional organizations as a concrete form of international solidarity with all
oppressed peoples and with all victims of racism and racial discrimination, colonialism and apartheid;
13. The Conference condemns the frequent and unjustified acts of aggression, destruction and sabotage, which the racist South African régime, directly and through the
use of mercenaries and armed bandits, continues to perpetrate against the front-line States and other independent African States in the subregion because of their
opposition to apartheid, assistance to refugees and support for the liberation movements. It therefore calls on all States to offer such assistance as would enable the
front-line States and the other independent African States in the subregion to strengthen their defence capacity and peacefully rebuild their countries;
14. The Conference expresses its deep concern that many neo-Nazi and Fascist organizations have stepped up their activities which have encouraged tendencies
towards racism and racial discrimination. Accordingly, measures should be taken against all ideologies and practices, such as apartheid, nazism, fascism and
neo-fascism based on racial or ethnic exclusiveness or intolerance, hatred, terror or systematic denials of human rights and fundamental freedoms;
15. The proscription of racism and racial discrimination by law should be accompanied by vigorous efforts to ensure equality in the economic, social and cultural fields;
and in particular special programmes, such as affirmative action programmes, should be developed to address the problem of racism and racial discrimination inherent in
the system and institutionalized;
16. Education and information should provide an efficient means of action to combat racism and racial discrimination; the Conference supports the efforts of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for a more efficient utilization of education and information to combat racism and racial prejudice; it is also the
responsibility of all Governments and all leaders of opinion within each society to educate people, especially children and youth, by all available means, to promote an
awareness of the evils of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid and to ensure respect for the dignity and worth of all human beings; Information media should be
encouraged to disseminate information on United Nations activities and programmes related to the elimination of racial discrimination;
17. Apartheid, racism and systematic racial discrimination are gross violations of human rights emanating from and leading to serious inequalities in the political and
economic fields as well as in the fields of education, health, nutrition, housing, job opportunities and cultural development, and consequently the action required to combat
such policies and practices should include measures at the national, regional and international levels, to improve the political, economic, social and cultural living
conditions of men and women of all nations. International co-operation for development has an important role to play in securing the resources required by the developing
countries to overcome these obstacles;
18. Governments should make clear their condemnation of all propaganda and all organizations which are based on ideas and theories of the superiority of one race or
group of persons of one colour or ethnic origin, which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form, and should adopt measures designed to
eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination in accordance with article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination;
19. The Conference condemns any form of co-operation with South Africa, notably the existing and increasing relations between Israel and the racist régime of South
Africa, in particular those in the economic and military fields, and deplores and warns against co-operation between them in the nuclear fields; it particularly deplores the
expansion and intensification of those relations at the time when the international community is exerting all its efforts towards the objective of completely isolating the racist
régime of South Africa; the Conference views this co-operation as an act of deliberate choice and a hostile act against the oppressed people of South Africa, as well as a
defiance of the resolutions of the United Nations and the efforts of the society of nations to ensure freedom and peace in southern Africa; the Conference also notes with
concern the insidious propaganda by Israel against the United Nations and against Governments which are firmly opposed to apartheid;
20. The Conference recalls with deep regret the practices of racial discrimination against the Palestinians as well as other inhabitants of the Arab occupied territories
which have such an impact on all aspects of their daily existence that they prevent the enjoyment of their fundamental rights; the Conference expresses its deep concern
about this situation and calls for the cessation of all the practices of racial discrimination to which the Palestinians and the other inhabitants of the Arab territories occupied
by Israel are subjected;
21. Persons belonging to national, ethnic and other minorities can play a significant role in the promotion of international co-operation and understanding, and the national
protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities in accordance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including its article 27, is essential to enable them to fulfil this role; the Conference stresses that granting persons
belonging to minority groups the opportunity to participate fully in the political, economic and social life of their country can contribute to the promotion of understanding,
co-operation and harmonious relations between persons belonging to the different groups living in a country; the Conference also recognizes that in certain cases special
protection of the rights of persons belonging to minority groups may be called for, in particular by the adoption of effective measures in favour of persons belonging to
particularly disadvantaged minority groups; the Conference endorses the action taken so far by the competent United Nations bodies to protect persons belonging to
minorities, especially the present action of the Commission on Human Rights to elaborate a draft declaration on the protection of the rights of persons belonging to
minorities, and is confident that future action currently envisaged will appropriately enhance the international protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities; in
promoting and guaranteeing the rights of persons belonging to minorities, there should be strict respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of
the countries where they live and for non-interference in their internal affairs;
22. The rights of indigenous populations to maintain their traditional economic, social and cultural structures, to pursue their own economic, social and cultural
development and to use and further develop their own language, their special relationship to their land and its natural resources should not be taken away from them; the
need for consultation with indigenous populations as regards proposals which concern them should be fully observed; the Conference welcomes the establishment of the
United Nations Group on Indigenous Populations;
23. Whenever there is racial discrimination, women are often doubly discriminated against; consequently, further special efforts are called for to eliminate the effects of
racial discrimination on the status and situation of women, and to ensure conditions promoting women's equal participation in the political, economic, social and cultural life
of their societies; In this context, the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is of particular
importance;
24. Relevant national and international bodies should consider specifically the psychological and physical consequences for children who are victims of racial
discrimination, and should take care that special measures to counteract these effects are included in their future programmes;
25. The general principle of non-discrimination, with particular regard to refugees fleeing from apartheid, racism and racial discrimination, should be applied scrupulously
in regard to refugees, particularly in respect of their admission, treatment and non-refoulement in countries providing refuge, including refuge on a temporary basis, and of
international solidarity in providing assistance and in promoting durable solutions;
26. The urgent need to protect the rights of immigrants, migrant workers, as well as the human rights of those who are undocumented, and their families all over the world
requires that States should ensure that their legislation, administration and other practices fully conform with international standards protecting the rights of migrant workers
and their families, to mitigate and eliminate the social, economic and other causes of discriminatory measures or attitudes still existing to the detriment of migrant Workers
and their families; the Conference urges States Members of the United Nations to speed up the present work within the United Nations to elaborate a draft Convention on
the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families;
27. States, international organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, local and private institutions, religious institutions and trade unions should
ensure the total and effective realization of the goals and objectives of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial;
28. A Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination should be launched by the General Assembly with a view to achieving the total elimination of racism,
racial discrimination and apartheid. To this end, the Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination adopts the following Programme of Action:
Programme of Action
A. Action to combat apartheid;
1. The Conference calls on all States, United Nations organs and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to ensure the full and universal implementation of
mandatory Security Council resolutions and to make efforts to implement other United Nations resolutions; Particular attention should be paid to specific measures,
including those contained in the present Programme of Action, designed to ensure the implementation of the provisions relating to apartheid;
2. The Conference reaffirms that the system of apartheid in South Africa is the most extreme form of institutionalized racism, a crime against humanity, an affront to the
conscience and dignity of mankind, and that South Africa's policies and practices constitute serious breaches of and threats to regional stability and to international peace
and security. The Conference calls upon all States, international organizations, private institutions and non-governmental organizations to render increased political and
material assistance to the oppressed people of South Africa and Namibia, and to accelerate greatly campaigns for obtaining the release of all political prisoners imprisoned
for their activities against apartheid.
3. The Conference further reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of the oppressed people of South Africa and Namibia and their national liberation movements for the
elimination of apartheid by all available means, including armed struggle, and the special responsibility of the United Nations and the international community to provide
them with moral, political and material assistance in the realization of their quest to exercise their right to self-determination.
4. The Conference reiterates the commitment of the United Nations to the total eradication of apartheid and to the establishment of a democratic society in which all the
people of South Africa as a whole, irrespective of race, colour, sex or creed, will enjoy equal and full human rights and fundamental freedoms and participate freely in the
determination of their destiny.
5. The Conference reaffirms the international community's rejection of the bantustanization policy and similar measures which are an integral part of the discriminatory
apartheid system and which deny the black majority their legitimate rights to their land and to their citizenship of South Africa.
6. The Conference further confirms the international community's rejection of the régime's so-called reforms, especially the limited parliamentary representation for the
coloureds and Asians designed to split the black alliance and buttress the apartheid system.
7. The Conference requests all States to implement strictly the embargo on the sale and transfer of arms and related military materials imposed against South Africa
under Security Council resolution 418 (1977). The Conference further urges the Security Council to adopt urgent measures to strengthen the arms embargo in accordance
with the recommendations of the Council's committee established under its resolution 421 (1977).
8. The Conference requests the Security Council to consider urgently the imposition of mandatory sanctions, under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
against the apartheid régime of South Africa, and in particular:
(a) The cessation of all collaboration with South Africa in the nuclear field as such collaboration would enhance South Africa's capacity to develop nuclear weapons,
(b) The prohibition of all technological assistance or collaboration in the manufacture of arms and military supplies to South Africa;
(c) The cessation of foreign investments in, and financial loans to, South Africa,
(d) An embargo on the supply of petroleum, petroleum products, and other strategic commodities which would enable South Africa to continue implementing its
apartheid policy;
(e) The interruption of trade relations with South Africa.
9. The Conference strongly condemns the racist régime of South Africa for its systematic oppression of and discrimination against the overwhelming majority of the
population of South Africa and for its continuing illegal occupation of Namibia. The Conference also condemns acts of military aggression and acts of political and economic
destabilization perpetrated by South Africa against the independent neighbouring States of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia and
Zimbabwe, as well as South Africa's activities of recruiting, training, financing and arming mercenaries for aggression against and destabilization of the neighbouring States
which creates instability in this part of the world.
10. The Conference calls for increased international assistance and support to front-line States and other independent States in the subregion subjected to threats and
actions of aggression and destabilization by the apartheid régime of South Africa, in order to enable them to strengthen their defence capacity, defend their sovereignty and
territorial integrity, fight the adverse South African and other propaganda that undermines the racial harmony and peace in the subregion, and peacefully rebuild and develop
their countries.
11. The Conference calls upon States to sever all sporting, cultural and scientific links with the racist régime and with organizations or institutions in South Africa which
practise apartheid and to discourage their nationals from having any such contacts.
12. The Conference calls on all States that have not yet done so:
(a) To refrain from any relations with the apartheid régime which could contribute to the continuance of the apartheid policy;
(b) To discourage or prevent, all business enterprises, including transnational corporations, in so far as they are under their jurisdiction or control, from any
collaboration with the racist régime of South Africa, as such collaboration may contribute towards the continuance of its apartheid policy.
13. The Conference, reaffirming the direct responsibility of the United Nations for Namibia pending its achievement of genuine self-determination, national independence
and territorial integrity, demands the immediate and unconditional implementation of Security Council resolution 435 (1978) of 29 September 1978 and calls upon all
States, intergovernmental organizations, private institutions and non-governmental organizations to make an active contribution to this aim. The Conference further calls on
all Governments and transnational corporations to implement Decree No. 1 for the protection of the natural resources of Namibia adopted by the United Nations Council for
Namibia, and also calls for the implementation of the measures referred to in section C of the General Assembly resolution 37/233 on Namibia.
14. The Conference calls on all States, intergovernmental organizations, private institutions and non-governmental organizations to continue to take all necessary
measures to ensure the termination of all economic and financial collaboration with the racist régime of South Africa as such assistance will contribute to the continuance
of the policies of apartheid and to refrain from taking any action that might imply recognition of, or support for, the illegal occupation of the Namibian territory by that régime.
In this connection, the Conference cautions against unilateral attempts to relax the application of the sanctions already imposed by the Security Council.
15. The Conference urges the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund as well as similar institutions to refrain from
extending any credits to the racist régime of South Africa.
B. Education, teaching and training
16. The Conference calls upon all States to use effectively education, teaching and training to create an atmosphere for the eradication of racism and racial
discrimination. These media should serve as channels for exposing the myths and fallacies of theories, philosophies, ideas and attitudes that are inherent in discriminatory
actions based on differences of race, colour, descent and ethnic or national origin. It is imperative for all States to apply strictly the principle of non-discrimination and
equality in the matter of education as contained in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Convention against Discrimination in Education. The
Conference invites States:
(a) To examine history, geography and social studies textbooks with a view to correcting any erroneous assessment of historical and social data, or their unbalanced
presentation, giving rise to racial prejudice;
(b) To ensure that teachers are made conscious of the degree to which they may reflect the prejudice of their society and are instructed to avoid such prejudices;
(c) To provide adequate opportunities in schools and institutions of higher learning for the study of the activities of the United Nations in combating racism, racial
discrimination and apartheid;
(d) To provide pupils and students at all levels with access to literature and documentation on racism, racial discrimination and apartheid;
(e) To ensure that the teaching staff of institutions reflect, as far as possible, the racial and ethnic composition of the community. Affirmative action programmes
should be instituted to facilitate the hiring of teachers who represent - the racial, ethnic and linguistic composition of the community;
(f) To make available the resources of schools and of teaching and training facilities to persons belonging to all population groups;
(g) To take remedial measures in instances where particular racial, ethnic, linguistic or other groups have had a history of being placed at a disadvantage because of
their origin and where such a situation has contributed to a lower level of education and a lower standard of living for persons belonging to various population groups. This is
the responsibility of society. This might necessitate special educational programmes at all levels of the society;
(h) To make law enforcement agents aware in their training of the possibility of reflecting the prejudice of their society;
(i) To ensure that school curricula promote a dialogue between persons belonging to the various groups of the society. These should be responsive to the needs and
backgrounds of all these persons and foster, where possible, an interchange of cultural experience. In this regard, persons belonging to ethnic minorities and racial groups
should be allowed to inculcate in students the practices and values of the respective cultures. Efforts should also be made to allow the topic of human rights to permeate
the curricula.
17. National institutions should inform the general public of the nature of their human rights as provided for in the existing international instruments directed towards
combating racism, racial discrimination and apartheid as well as in other instruments based on the principles contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or as
otherwise covered in national legislation. The general public should be advised by the national institutions on the means of enforcing their rights according to national law.
National institutions should ensure that persons are made aware of their own rights and those of others and should assist them in the matter of protecting and enforcing
their rights. These institutions should mobilize public opinion in their countries against violations of human rights, especially gross and massive violations, and in particular
against the practice of apartheid, racism and genocide.
18. One of the fundamental objectives of programmes of education and scientific research undertaken in national institutions should be the elimination of racial
discrimination and prejudice.
19. It is imperative that all States apply strictly the principle of non-discrimination and equality in the matter of education and adhere to the principles set forth in the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Convention against Discrimination in Education. It is important that the right to enter any school should be
guaranteed to every child. The availability of special or supplementary education for children belonging to disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups may be appropriate in
some cases for their development.
20. International agencies such as UNESCO should continue their work in the field of human rights education and promote such programmes on a continuing basis as
guidelines for textbook analysis, teacher training, curriculum development and other undertakings and, in particular, should develop materials explaining how discrimination
inherent in the system and institutionalized can be addressed through remedial programmes such as affirmative action plans.
21. As recommended by the International Conference on Apartheid and Health, which, was held in Brazzaville from 16 to 20 November 1981, the World Health
Organization should continue to implement the Plan of Action in favour of the victims of apartheid, in particular in the fields of health, education and training.
C. Dissemination of information and the role of the mass media in combating racism and racial discrimination
22. The mass media should playa vital role in disseminating information on methods and techniques used in combating racism, racial discrimination and apartheid. The
mass media should, taking into account the Declaration 8/ adopted by UNESCO in 1978 on basic principles concerning contribution of the mass media to strengthening
peace and international understanding, promoting human rights and combating racism and apartheid and incitement to war, regard it as their task, by disseminating
information on the aims, aspirations, cultures and needs of all peoples, to contribute to eliminating ignorance and misunderstanding between peoples, to making nationals
of a country sensitive to the needs and desires of others, to ensuring respect for the rights and dignity of all nations, all peoples and individuals without distinction as to
race, sex, language, religion or nationality and in that way to contribute to protecting them against any influence of propaganda supporting racism and racist régimes.
23. Mass media should contribute to raising the awareness of peoples of the close link between the struggle against apartheid and all forms of racism and racial
discrimination and the struggle for international peace and security, in conformity with the provisions contained in the UNESCO Declaration of 1978.
24. Lack of self-expression through the mass media on the part of persons belonging to racial and ethnic minorities in society can often cause the mass media to
become one-sided or distorted. Media of all kinds-radio, television, films, the press, advertising, booklets and public meetings -as well as traditional forms such as drama
and story-telling could playa vital role.
25. Events and activities aimed at combating racism and racial discrimination should be given broad coverage by the media. Mention may be made of such activities as
conferences, seminar workshops and round-tables, as well as meetings of United Nations organs dealing with a particular question and publication and wide distribution of
pertinent resolutions and decisions of such bodies. Success stories in combating racial discrimination through legislation, executive action or community action
programmes should be given publicity, and the negative and evil side of racism and racial discrimination highlighted. Comic strips, films and magazines for children and
adults should be screened with a view to eliminating any form of racial stereotyping, whether favourable or unfavourable. Events having a racial aspect should be presented
in their economic and social, cultural and political context, they should not be treated as mere news items.
26. The negative and positive influences exercised by the media in their role as information-conveyors, entertainers, educators and advertisers should be studied. In
addition, the media should seek to raise public consciousness about the positive roles and achievements of racial and ethnic groups from all walks of life throughout
history. Efforts should be made to produce radio and television programmes depicting the evils of racial discrimination in a vivid way for example, by illustrating the plight of
individual victims of racial discrimination. Such audio and visual presentations are likely to have great impact, particularly in areas where literacy is not widespread.
27. There should be adequate opportunity within the mass media for persons belonging to groups which are victims of discrimination to express their own points of view,
particularly by producing programmes or reports themselves. In addition, persons belonging to such groups should have equal access to the professions within the mass
media, especially journalism.
28. National institutions should widely publicize basic texts on the elimination of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid as well as other human rights texts.
D. Measures for promotion and protection of human rights of persons belonging to minority groups,
indigenous populations and peoples and migrant workers who are subjected to racial discrimination
29. Throughout the various regions of the world there is a diversity of peoples, cultures, traditions and religions that encompasses, in many instances, various minority
groups. There is a need for constant effort and continued vigilance on the part of all Governments to obviate any form of racial discrimination based on race, colour, descent
or national or ethnic origin, in accordance with article 1 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
30. National and local institutions, as adapted to the needs and conditions of each country, can play an important role in the promotion and protection of human rights, in
the prevention of discrimination and the protection of the rights of persons belonging to national and ethnic minorities, of indigenous populations and of refugees. Such
national and local institutions could be of varying types, including judicial, administrative, conciliatory, social and educational. Any or all of these types of institutions could
be utilized by individual countries according to their own circumstances and needs.
31. In the area of legislation, Governments should abolish and prohibit any discrimination within their jurisdiction. Such legislation should seek to promote and protect the
human rights of persons belonging to minority groups in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and other relevant international instruments. Persons belonging to minorities should enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination as to national or ethnic origin, language, religion or sex.
32. Governments should create favourable conditions and take measures that will enable persons belonging to national or ethnic minorities within their jurisdiction to
express their characteristics freely and to develop their education, culture, language, traditions and customs and to participate on a non-discriminatory and equitable basis
in the cultural, social, economic and political life of the country in which they live. In maintaining their culture and traditions such persons should be in a position to develop
the necessary contacts inside and outside their country with due respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, the principle of non-interference by one State in the internal
affairs of another State, and the political independence of the States concerned.
33. States should undertake to combat the causes of inter-group antagonism by adopting concrete measures designed to promote understanding, co-operation and
harmonious relations among members of population groups. Where tension and friction exist, their elimination cannot be achieved if the realities of political, economic,
cultural, religious and linguistic differences between the various components of the society concerned are not taken into account.
34. With respect to indigenous populations, Governments should recognize and respect the basic rights of such populations:
(a) To call themselves by their proper name and to express freely their own identity;
(b) To have official status and to form their own representative organizations;
(c) To maintain within the areas where they live their traditional economic structure and way of life; this should in no way affect their right to participate freely on an
equal basis in the economic, social and political development of the country;
(d) To maintain and use their own language, wherever possible, for administration and education;
(e) To enjoy freedom of religion or belief;
(f) To have access to land and natural resources, particularly in the light of the fundamental importance of rights to land and natural resources to their traditions and
aspirations;
(g) To structure, conduct and control their own educational systems.
35. Indigenous populations should be free to manage their own affairs to the fullest practicable extent, and should be consulted in all matters concerning their interests
and welfare, wherever possible through formal consultative arrangements. Special measures should be taken to remedy past dispossession, dispersal and systematic
discrimination.
36. Funds should be made available by the national authorities for investments, the uses of which are to be determined with the participation of the indigenous
populations themselves, in the economic life of the areas concerned, as well as in all spheres of cultural activity.
37. Governments should allow indigenous populations within their territories to develop cultural and social links with related or similar populations, taking into account the
important role of international organizations or associations of indigenous populations, and with due respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political
independence of those countries in which indigenous populations live.
38. The Conference further urges States to facilitate and support the establishment of representative non-governmental international organizations for indigenous
populations through which they can share experiences and promote common interests. The Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities
should ensure that the urgent work being carried out by its Working Group on Indigenous Populations is continued so that the complex issues involved can be analysed
and appropriate measures taken at the international and national levels.
39. In view of the vulnerability of indigenous populations to discrimination and violations of their human rights, and of the gravity of the threat faced by indigenous
populations in some parts of the world, Governments should pay close attention to situations in which the rights of indigenous populations may be violated or denied, in
order to prevent such violations, which should be widely publicized as soon as they are detected.
40. States receiving migrant workers should eliminate all discriminatory practices against such workers and their families by giving them treatment no less favourable
than that accorded to their own nationals. Host countries should eliminate from their legislation any type of legal or other provisions which may discriminate against migrant
workers on the basis of their respective nationalities. This should pertain, inter alia, to vocational training, the type of posts that migrants may occupy, the type of contracts
accorded to migrant workers, the right to seek employment in any part of the country, regulations governing working conditions, trade-union activity and access to judicial
and administrative tribunals to air grievances concerning discrimination. With a view to combating xenophobia, host countries should develop information campaigns in
order to disseminate the idea of equality between nationals and migrant workers.
41. The following measures could also be undertaken by Governments to protect the rights of migrant workers:
(a) The General Assembly should complete, as soon as possible, the elaboration of an international convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers
and their families. The Conference considers that the conclusion of this convention by the United Nations would constitute an important contribution to its endeavours to
protect fundamental human rights, because the convention would be added to the other instruments protecting these rights, the Conference recommends, pending the
conclusions of the above-mentioned Convention, that a joint consultative mechanism be established in host countries with a view to contributing to good relations and
mutual understanding,
(b) States should ratify, accede to and implement the international instruments aimed at protecting migrant workers from discrimination, including the relevant
conventions of the International Labour Organisation;
(c) Migrant workers and members of their families should have the same rights as citizens of the State concerned as regards access to and treatment by the courts
and tribunals;
(d) All migrant workers should enjoy treatment no less favourable than that accorded to nationals of the receiving State in respect of remuneration;
(e) Migrant workers should be ensured equal treatment with national workers in the field of social security, including the right to a retirement pension and similar social
rights, while having their lawful residence in the host country;
(f) Host countries should be invited to co-operate with countries of origin to provide migrant workers and their families with the necessary facilities in the fields of
education and information for safeguarding their cultural identity;
(g) The children of migrant workers should be enabled to receive education in their mother tongue and on different aspects of their cultural achievements with a view to
preserving their national identity;
(h) The State of origin and State of employment should as far as possible co-operate with a view to helping to create new job opportunities for migrant workers
returning to the State of origin.
E. Recourse procedures for victims of racial discrimination
42. The Conference invites States to take into account, within their domestic recourse procedures, the following considerations:
(a) Access to such procedures should be as broad as possible;
(b) Existing recourse procedures should be publicized within their respective jurisdictions, and victims of racial discrimination should be assisted in utilizing the
procedures where appropriate;
(c) In each jurisdiction the rules relating to the initiation of complaints should be made simple and flexible and capable of being entertained in the language of the
complainant;
(d) Complaints of racial discrimination should be dealt with as expeditiously as possible, and there should be a reasonable time-limit with regard to the length of
investigations;
(e) Indigent victims of racial discrimination should receive legal aid and assistance in prosecuting their complaint, with the help of an interpreter when necessary, in
civil or criminal proceedings.
43. Victims of racial discrimination should have the right to seek from tribunals just and adequate reparation or satisfaction for any damage suffered as a result of such
discrimination.
F. Implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination and other related international instruments
44. The Conference urges States which have not yet become parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to do so as
part of their contribution to the objectives of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and until such States ratify the Convention they should
utilize the provisions of the Convention as guidelines in combating racial discrimination and in securing the realization of the principles of equality at both the national and
international levels. The Conference calls upon States parties to the Convention to consider the possibility of making the Declaration provided for in article 14 of the
Convention.
45. Such States should enact, as a matter of the highest priority, appropriate legislation and other suitable measures to prohibit and bring to an end racial discrimination,
to abrogate, amend, rescind or nullify any policies or regulations that have the effect of creating or perpetuating racial hatred and to declare the dissemination of ideas
based on racial superiority and hatred to be an offence punishable by law, taking duly into account the provisions appearing in the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
46. The Conference also appeals to States which have not yet done so to consider ratifying or acceding to, as soon as possible, other relevant international instruments
adopted under the aegis of the United Nations and specialized agencies, such as the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the Convention on the
Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity (1968), the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the
Crime of apartheid (1973), the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (1958) of the International Labour Organisation, the Convention against
Discrimination in Education (1960) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (1979) ;States are urged to comply with the reporting requirements called for by the relevant conventions.
G. National legislation and institutions
47. The Conference suggests that States that have not already done so should consider the urgent enactment, as a matter of the highest priority, of appropriate
legislation and other suitable measures to prohibit and bring to an end racial discrimination, to abrogate, amend, rescind or nullify any policies or regulations that have the
effect of creating or perpetuating racial hatred and, with due regard to the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the UNESCO Declaration on Fundamental Principles concerning the Contribution of the Mass Media to
Strengthening Peace and International Understanding, to the promotion of Human Rights and to Countering Racialism, Apartheid and Incitement to War (1978), the
UNESCO Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice (1978), and the rights set forth in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,
to declare the dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority and hatred to be an offence punishable by law.
48. The Conference calls on all States that have not yet done so to take effective legislative and other measures, including those in the field of penal law, to prevent the
recruitment, use, financing and training, transit and transport of mercenaries, in particular when they are aimed at assisting racist régimes, and to punish such mercenaries
as common criminals. The Conference urges the Ad Hoc Committee established by the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth session to complete, as soon as possible, the
draft international convention against the recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries.
49. The Conference urges all States to adopt strict legislation to declare an offence punishable by law all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred and
to prohibit organizations based on racial prejudice and hatred, including neo-Nazi and Fascist organizations, private clubs and institutions established on the basis of racial
criteria or propagating ideas of racial discrimination and apartheid.
50. With regard to national legislation, the Conference recommends that:
(a) Governments, where necessary, should guarantee non-discrimination on grounds of race and equal rights for all individuals in their constitutions and legislation;
(b) Governments, where necessary, should undertake to review and update all national legislation and remove all discriminatory provisions;
(c) Legislation should be consistent with international standards embodied in relevant international instruments,
(d) Victims of discrimination should be informed and advised of their rights, by all possible means, and given assistance in securing those rights;
(e) Governments should, where necessary, establish appropriate and effective mechanisms, including conciliation and mediation procedures and national
commissions, to ensure that such legislation is enforced effectively, and thereby to promote equality of opportunity and good race relations.
51. A regular system of review and appraisal should be continued to enable Member States, all organizations of the United Nations system, including relevant regional
bodies and non-governmental organizations, to assess the measures taken towards achieving the aims and objectives of the Decade.
52. Within the framework of their national legislation and policy and according to their means, States should set up national institutions for the promotion and protection
of human rights. National institutions should study legal developments and review the laws and policies of the national Government with a view to ensuring the elimination of
all discriminatory laws, prejudices and practices based on race, sex, descent, colour and national and ethnic origin.
H. Seminars and studies
53. The Conference recommends that, as part of future activities to combat racism and racial discrimination, consideration should be given to the organization of
international and regional seminars on such subjects as:
(a) Political, historical, economic, social and cultural factors leading to racism, racial discrimination and apartheid;
(b) International support and assistance to peoples and movements struggling against colonialism, racism, racial discrimination and apartheid;
(c) Ways and means of denying support to racist régimes with a view to making them change their policies;
(d) The historical and current dimensions of tribalism;
(e) Main obstacles to the full eradication of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid;
(f) The human rights of persons belonging to ethnic groups in immigrant countries;
(g) Equality of treatment for persons belonging to ethnic and racial minorities and disadvantaged groups, such as indigenous populations;
(h) Community relations commissions and their functions.
54. The Conference also recommends that studies should be continued regarding ways and means of ensuring implementation of United Nations resolutions on
apartheid, racism and racial discrimination. In particular, the Conference strongly encourages the United Nations Institute for Training and Research to continue to research,
study and conduct seminars on racism and racial discrimination.
I. Action by non-governmental organizations
55. By virtue of their independent status, non-governmental organizations individually and collectively have an important contribution to make to the achievement of the
objectives of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination. Through various activities sponsored by them, non-governmental organizations can be
effective in identifying and publicizing areas of racial discrimination which otherwise may not come to light, and in helping to create greater practical understanding among
young people of the importance of actively combating all forms of discrimination, in their own countries as well as in the international community.
56. Non-governmental organizations have the opportunity to create and sustain awareness among their members and in society at large regarding the evils of racism and
racial discrimination. Such awareness can be transmitted from a national to an international Organization with all the added benefits of the concrete experience of a
particular country. Governments should therefore ensure that non-governmental organizations are enabled to function freely and openly within their societies and thereby to make an effective contribution to the elimination of racism and racial discrimination throughout the world.
J. International co-operation
57. In order to obtain the full promotion and protection of human rights of individuals and peoples, it is necessary to intensify national, regional and international action for
the purpose of combating and eliminating the causes of the policies and practices of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid.
58. The Conference underlines that the maintenance and strengthening of international co-operation, peace, the implementation of human rights and the. combating of
apartheid and racial discrimination are clearly linked. In order to improve mutual understanding among peoples, exchange visits and educational, cultural and scientific
exchange programmes should be expanded. The free flow of information and ideas with respect to combating racism and racial discrimination should be ensured. The
Conference calls on States to exchange information and ideas with respect to combating racism and racial discrimination.
59. The Conference calls on the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women, to be held in 1985, to contribute
to the struggle against racism, racial discrimination and apartheid by recommending the adoption of measures aimed at ensuring the active participation of women in the
struggle against those evils.
60. Taking International Youth Year (1985) into account, the Conference recommends that the United Nations and the specialized agencies should undertake activities to
encourage the effective contribution of youth to the struggle against racism, racial discrimination and apartheid.
61. The Conference calls upon all Governments and international organizations to make every effort to change the economic, political and social conditions on which
policies and practices of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid are based and to give all their support to the victims of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid, and
declares that the struggle against the remnants of colonialism and support of the liberation movements recognized by the regional organizations is worthy of particular
attention.
62. Article 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes that everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set
forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. For this purpose, it is necessary to work for the establishment of a just and fair international order. The establishment of a new
international economic order would be an important means of combating the causes which generate racism and racial discrimination.
63. The national, regional and international action to combat and eliminate the causes of the policies and practices of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid should
include measures aimed at improving the conditions of life of peoples and individuals in the economic, political, social and cultural spheres in order that the great
inequalities now existing in the matters of employment, nutrition, health, housing and education, among others, may disappear. International development co-operation has
an important role to play in securing the resources required by the developing countries to realize these objectives.
64. The Conference urges Governments, with the co-operation of the relevant international organizations, to consider adopting measures to guarantee, through special
conventions or other provisions, asylum and transit facilities to those who desert from the armed forces of the racist régime in southern Africa on grounds of conscience or
who are forced to leave because of their opposition to apartheid.
65. The Conference proclaims that the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination is a matter of high priority to the United Nations and the international community. It
proclaims that racism and racial discrimination in all their manifestations are crimes against the conscience and dignity of mankind and must be eradicated by effective and
concerted international action. The Conference pays tribute to UNESCO for its activities during the Decade and recommends that UNESCO should, within the framework of
its Second Medium-Term Plan (1984-1989), continue:
(i) Its work (studies and research) on the factors of influence in the maintenance, transmission and alteration of prejudices and on the causes and effects of
the various forms of racism and racial and ethnic discrimination;
(ii) Its efforts to ensure that all groups which suffer from discrimination in the fields of education, science, culture and information enjoy equal opportunities
with others and that the members of such groups have full representation and are able to exercise their rights in those fields;
(iii) Its programme on the appreciation of differing cultures and the promotion and recognition of the equality of cultures and peoples;
(iv) Its research and studies on apartheid, and the widest possible dissemination of the results of its work.
66. In spite of the efforts of the international community during the Decade, at the national, regional and international levels, racism, racial discrimination and apartheid
continue unabated and have shown no sign of diminishing. With a view to reaffirming its unalterable determination to mobilize maximum international pressures to attain the
objectives of the Decade, the Conference strongly recommends that the General Assembly declare a second Decade for Action to Combat Racial Discrimination at the end
of the current Decade in December 1983.