Three IFEX members and 14 other organisations strongly reaffirm the obligation of the State members of the United Nations to implement their international commitments at the Durban Review Conference
Joint Civil Society Declaration on Participation to the Durban Review Conference
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – 19 April 2009 – We, the undersigned NGOs and trade unions, have been actively involved in the preparation of the United Nations Conference on the review of the Declaration and Action Plan adopted in Durban on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. We strongly reaffirm the obligation of the State members of the United Nations to implement their international commitments.
We share a common objective that the international community should move forward together in the global fight against racism and discrimination, with a concrete determination to fight these scourges.
This Conference constitutes an important opportunity to reaffirm the concrete commitment to fight racism and discrimination in all their forms, in all organs of society, all around the world.
The draft outcome document presented to the Conference is acknowledged by our organisations as an important breakthrough in the negotiations, whereby countries have made significant efforts to find consensual language to express jointly the past, present and future challenges and build upon the Durban declaration and plan of Action.
Our organisations thus urge UN member States to participate constructively in the Conference, as an active expression of their humble recognition of the challenges faced by humanity in resolving the scourge, and a conviction that collective action is capable of promoting unity between different regions, cultures, groups and peoples.
In this context, we regret the absence of some States, whose involvement would have promoted the universal reach of the fight against racism and discrimination and urge other Governments which have not yet confirmed their decision to constructively participate in the review conference and demonstrate the willingness to engage against racism.
FIDH – International Federation for Human Rights
HRW – Human Rights Watch
ITUC – International Trade Union Confederation
Democracy Coalition Project
Education International
Public Services International
ARTICLE 19 – Global Campaign for Free Expression
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
FORUM-ASIA – Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network
Latin American and Caribbean International Committee on the Durban Review Process
Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean and African diaspora Women’s Network
Brazilian Articulation of black women’s NGOs
Brazilian Women’s Articulation
Brazilian Dialogues Against Racism
International Gays and Lesbians Human Rights Commission
Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education
