PRESS BRIEFING BY UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

It was time the human rights movement in the United States joined more fully with the United Nations in providing the leadership that would make for a constructive World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Mary Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

Briefing correspondents on this morning's presentation to the United Nations of a "Call to Action" by American civil rights and social justice groups, she said the event made an important connection between preparations in the United States and those in other countries and regions towards the World Conference, to be held in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 7 September 2001.

Also present was Maurice Glele-Ahanhanzo, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism, Racial Discrimination and Xenophobia, who stressed the importance of participation in the World Conference by non-governmental organizations.

Mrs. Robinson said it was important that civil rights and social justice groups in the United States see the United Nations as a constructive and necessary support in addressing racism and racial discrimination. In presenting the Call to Action, they had emphasized systemic racism in the United States, as well as persistent and systematic discrimination against African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and other groups.

Mrs. Robinson pointed out that the issue of racism was deeply important in both developing and developed countries, owing to emerging new forms and manifestations of discrimination and xenophobia. The problem was getting worse in some countries and the need to address it was ever more urgent. The World Conference would give each country an opportunity to examine its sense of identity; root out issues of institutionalized racism; and face up honestly to statistics showing the existence of racial discrimination.

The event must produce a declaration -- hopefully in plain language -- that would be meaningful to people and relevant to their lives, the High Commissioner stressed. The World Conference must also produce a programme of action that would gather, from all countries, good practices of tackling barriers and address different kinds of discrimination, xenophobia and racism. It should examine as specific issues gender and racism, as well as economic factors underlying racial discrimination. It would also need a review process to evaluate progress five years after Durban.

Also briefing correspondents this afternoon was Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, who described how civil rights groups, in their frustration, had now turned to the United Nations. They had asked the High Commissioner to aid them in holding the United States

Human Rights Briefing - 2 - 24 October 2000

accountable for the intractable and persistent problems of discrimination faced by men and women of colour at the hands of the criminal justice system.

From racial profiling, to prosecutorial discretion and misconduct, to disparities in the imposition of the death penalty, he said, communities of colour continued to be victimized and disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. Despite having repeatedly brought those concerns before federal and state officials through the courts, federal and state legislatures and other bodies, little concrete action had been taken to eliminate the long-standing problems of racial discrimination.

He noted that United States leaders often condemned human rights violations by other nations. In order to maintain credibility abroad and, most important, to render justice at home, the Government must address its own human rights shortcomings and offer a concrete strategy for eliminating racial discrimination. At a bare minimum, it should move immediately to declare racial profiling illegal and impose a moratorium on the death penalty, at both federal and state levels, in order to determine the extent to which racial discrimination affected those processes.

Mr. Henderson recalled that it was 53 years ago to the day that W.E.B. DuBois had presented the first individual human rights petition to the United Nations, on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), urging the then-fledgling Organization to investigate racial discrimination in the United States. Today's Call to Action was patterned after that petition.

The Leadership Conference is the oldest and largest civil and human rights coalition in the United States, comprising more than 180 organizations. Also present this morning were representatives of the NAACP, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights body; the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium; the National Congress of American Indians; and more than 40 other members of the United States civil and human rights community.

A correspondent asked whether this morning's meeting had taken up the reported announcement by the United States that it would not allow discussion of the reparations question at the World Conference.

Mr. Henderson replied that the important issue of remedies to the problems of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia must be part of the agenda in Durban. Organizations that had participated in this morning's meeting would be examining that question and trying to determine how best to pursue it effectively.

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