REDRESSING HISTORICAL WRONGS, ENSURING RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION CITED AS KEY TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BY THIRD COMMITTEE SPEAKERS

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Third Committee

26^th Meeting (AM)

REDRESSING HISTORICAL WRONGS, ENSURING RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION CITED

AS KEY TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BY THIRD COMMITTEE SPEAKERS

Four Draft Resolutions on Women’s, Children’s Issues

Introduced, as Committee Continues Debate on Racism, Self-Determination

Redressing historical wrongs of racism and ensuring the right to self-determination were key factors in achieving sustainable development, as well as peace and understanding between nations, delegations said as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) continued its consideration of the elimination of racism and racial discrimination, the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and issues related to the right of peoples to self-determination.

Speaking on behalf of Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the representative of Antigua and Barbuda said that even though the international community had contributed to the self-determination process of over eighty territories since the end of World War II, the process was far from complete.  Adherence to the principle of self-determination was essential for the development of the remaining sixteen, mostly small island, non-self-governing territories under continual review by the General Assembly.

Unfortunately, significant obstacles remained to the realization of the universal right to self-determination, he said.  Information on legitimate options of self-determination available to the people of those territories remained woefully insufficient.  He stressed that the plan of action of the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism must be given a chance to succeed.

Stressing that the denial of the right to self-determination was in essence racist, the observer of Palestine said there was a need to combat racism in all its forms and manifestations.  Foreign occupation was clearly the antithesis of all norms and principles of equality, democracy and tolerance.

Also condemning racism, the representative of Guyana said that the practice of racism and discrimination in all its forms was anathema to sustainable development.  His delegation believed in the right of individuals to be able to participate in the processes of development, irrespective of race, as a basic and fundamental human right.

The representative of Jamaica said that the legacy of the past –- racial oppression and slavery –- could not be ignored. Peoples of African descent and indigenous peoples who had suffered racial oppression and slavery must benefit from affirmative action programmes, in order to overcome disadvantages of the past and achieve sustainable development.  In the context of modern development and globalization, he stressed the need to respect cultural diversity, promote tolerance and increase respect for one another.  That was important in ensuring harmony, not only among different cultural and ethnic groups, but also among countries.

As a society with more than 350 ethnic groups, Indonesia had paid special attention to the issue of racism and racial discrimination, said a representative of that country.  National development would only be meaningful if the nation strengthened the unity of its diverse peoples.  The Government was concentrating on establishing and maintaining a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect between the country’s diverse communities through education programmes and reconciliatory dialogue.

Also this morning, draft resolutions were introduced on issues related to the advancement of women and the rights of the child.  The drafts concerned the improvement of the status of women in the United Nations; the elimination of all forms of violence against women; the guidance and role of parents in the care, control and development of their children; and the situation of and assistance to Palestinian children.  They were introduced by the representatives of Canada, the Netherlands, Benin, and Egypt respectively.

Also speaking this morning were representatives of Chile, Guyana, Syria, and Barbados.

Exercising the right of reply were the representatives of Israel and Egypt, as well as the observer of Palestine.

The Committee will reconvene tomorrow at 3 p.m. to continue its general discussion on racism and self-determination.

Background

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) will continue its consideration of the elimination of racism and racial discrimination; the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; as well as the rights of peoples to self-determination. 

For further background information please see press release GA/SHC/3751 of 24 October. 

Introduction of Draft Resolutions

The representative of Canada introduced a draft resolution on the improvement of the status of women in the United Nations system (document A/C.3/58/L.19), saying her delegation was greatly concerned about the slowing of progress toward meeting the target of 50/50 gender representation in the United Nations system. 

The representative of the Netherlands introduced a draft resolution on the elimination of all forms of violence against women (document A/C.3/58/L.22), saying the magnitude of the problem required a doubling of efforts by States to combat all manifestations of violence against women, including among others, crimes against women committed in the name of honour, female genital mutilation, domestic violence and sexual harassment in the workplace.

The representative of Benin introduced a draft resolution on the importance of the guidance and role of parents in the care, control and development of their children (document A/C.3/58/L.23), noting that the Convention on the Rights of the Child had faced major obstacles in implementation because of the challenges faced by parents and stressing that the main goal of the resolution was to urge parents to make the children of today the peace-builders and peacekeepers of tomorrow. 

The representative of Egypt introduced a draft resolution concerning the situation of and assistance to Palestinian children (document A/C.3/58/L.24), saying that the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories had continued to deteriorate at an alarming rate, especially affecting the Palestinian children who were the most vulnerable sector of the population and who were in urgent need of assistance and services. 

Statements

CRISTIAN MAQUIEIRA (Chile) said the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action for Chile had constituted a reaffirmation of activities the Government was already undertaking domestically to eradicate racism.  His Government was combating various forms of discrimination through the application of macroeconomic policies with social policies that guaranteed that every Chilean lived a dignified life with an integrated social network.  Special emphasis had been placed on health, education and assistance to the most vulnerable social groups. 

As combating exclusion involved active and ongoing concern for minorities within society, the Government of Chile had established a programme called “tolerance and non-discrimination”.  He said this programme sought to create an environment where ideas and proposals could be constructively compiled and incorporated into public policy.  The Government’s goal was to identify instances of exclusion and discrimination, in order to implement a national plan of action to eradicate such practices. 

GEORGE WILFRED TALBOT (Guyana) said his country was unequivocal in its conviction that the practice of racism in all its forms and discrimination on the basis of race was anathema to sustainable development.  His delegation reaffirmed its belief in the right of individuals to be able to participate in the development process, irrespective of race, as a basic and fundamental human right set out by the United Nations Charter and United Nations resolutions.

He said Guyana had striven to create the basis for the equal participation of all its citizens in the processes of development.  In this regard his Government had aimed to ensure even-handedness in the provision of governmental and other facilities and services, and to ensure the growth of a culture of mutual respect and appreciation in spite of differences.  It had also strengthened the legal framework for the protection of rights and recourse to legal remedies in instances of discrimination in employment or in any other area on the basis of race or ethnicity.

NADYA RASHEED, observer of Palestine, said combating racism in all its forms and manifestations was an imperative task in which the international community must exert maximum efforts.  For far too long, the Palestinian people continued to be victims of racism and racial discrimination.  In the occupied Palestinian territory, approximately half of the Palestinian people had lived under a brutal and oppressive occupation for more than three decades.  Foreign occupation was clearly the antithesis of all the norms and principles of equality, democracy and tolerance.  Over the past 36 years, Israel had transformed its occupation into a colonial phenomenon with the transfer of over 400,000 illegal Israeli settlers to lands forcefully confiscated from the Palestinian people. 

In Israel itself, more than one million Israeli Arabs, or Israelis of Palestinian origin, continued to suffer institutionalized and legal discrimination in a variety of forms, denying them of many of their individual rights.  She added that Israel had no constitution and was the only country in the world that differentiated between citizenship and nationality, all to serve institutionalized discrimination against Israeli Arabs.  The establishment of a Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, was essential for enabling the Palestinian people to finally live in a world where their human dignity was respected and the ideas of equality, freedom and tolerance were upheld and honoured. 

H. MUHAMMAD HATTA (Indonesia) said Indonesia had paid special attention to the issue of racism and racial discrimination since it was a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual society with more than 350 ethnic groups having their own languages, cultures and customs.  Since the founding of his nation, his Government had recognized that national development would only be meaningful if the nation strengthened the unity of its diverse peoples. 

He said Indonesia continued to take legislative, judicial, administrative and other measures to eliminate racism and racial discrimination.  The Government was concentrating on establishing and maintaining a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect between the country’s diverse communities through education programmes and reconciliatory dialogue.  Regarding anti-terrorist legislation passed in the aftermath of the recent attack on civilians in Bali, he pointed out that Indonesia wished to see terrorists brought to justice, while recognizing that all efforts to combat terrorism must be carried out without prejudice towards any religion, ethnic group or nation. 

RANIA AL HAJ ALI (Syria) expressed concern about the increase in racism against Arabs and Muslims, as well as the fact the objectives of the Third Decade against Racism had not been met.  The growth in racism and discrimination against religious groups through the use of mass media and new technologies were deliberate, she said.  Such ideas fed a sense of supremacy and fuelled feelings of hatred.  Arabs and Muslims were subjected to organized racism in many parts of the world as a result of anti-terrorism measures that were discriminatory in their nature. 

She thanked the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of racism and racial discrimination for his important work and she hoped that his future studies would be presented to the General Assembly as well as the Commission on Human Rights.  Concerning the follow-up of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, she suggested the establishment of an international mechanism to ensure that its focus was fair.  The situation in her region had deteriorated continuously as a result of the Israeli occupation of Arab lands and the racist policies carried out against Arabs and Muslims.  The right to self-determination was guaranteed in the United Nations Charter and must be respected. 

STAFFORD O. NEIL (Jamaica) stressed the need for effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.  Racist policies in legislation and public policy were continuing patterns of racism and racial discrimination.  Some of the persistence of racist attitudes gave rise to violence and required attention for affirmative action along with legislative reform.  Forms of racial discrimination were also evident in sporting events, as teams of certain racial composition were given hostile treatment in some countries.

He outlined three main areas of action that deserved attention: the intensification of national efforts through education and socialization processes to promote the ideal of racial harmony; the redressing of historical wrongs; and the fostering of respect for cultural diversity.

It was important to guard against racial profiling which placed certain groups under suspicion for terrorism or other criminal activity.  He said the legacy of the past, of racial oppression and slavery, could not be ignored. Peoples of African descent and indigenous peoples who had suffered racial oppression and slavery must be subjects of affirmative programmes, in order to ensure that they overcame the disadvantages of the past.  In the context of modern development and globalization, it was critical that there be respect for cultural diversity to promote tolerance and respect for cultural pluralism.  That was important in ensuring harmony, not only among different cultural and ethnic groups, but also among countries.

JUNE CLARKE (Barbados) said eliminating racism would require a cross-sectoral and multidimensional approach, and States must have a strategy to counteract both, the manifestations and the conceptual underpinnings of racism.  That would entail strengthening and implementing domestic and international instruments, education programmes to combat the legacy of institutionalized racism, constructive dialogue among all ethnic groups, and the fostering of mutual respect and openness to support such a dialogue.

She said Barbados had emerged from a dark colonial past and had developed into a relatively successful multicultural society, in which all individuals and ethnic groups were equally encouraged to participate in public and institutional arenas.  A Centre for Multi-racial Studies had been established in the 1970s for the sole purpose of researching race and ethnicity in the Caribbean.  That project, which had lasted until the 1980s, had contributed in a marked way to the shaping of the Caribbean consciousness.

Her delegation encouraged the United Nations, in its efforts to implement the Durban Declaration, to seriously consider the University of the West Indies as a site for an international centre for multiracial and multicultural studies and policy development, she concluded.

PATRICK A. LEWIS (Antigua and Barbuda), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said adherence to the principle of self-determination had enormous significance to the remaining sixteen, mostly small island, non-self-governing territories under continual review by the General Assembly.  He reiterated a recommendation made to the Third Committee in 2002 for the convening of an informational forum on self-determination, to be coordinated jointly by the Third and Fourth Committees to focus on self-determination issues in depth.  The international community had contributed to the self-determination process of over eighty territories since the end of World War II; however, the process was far from complete.

Significant obstacles remained to the realization of the universal right to self-determination for the people of the remaining sixteen small island territories.  Those obstacles were in large measure due to an information deficit that continued to exist, both among the people of the territories and the international community.  Information on the legitimate options of self-determination available to the people of those territories remained woefully insufficient.

He said the plan of action of the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism must be given a chance to succeed.  It was only through the implementation of such mandates that self-determination would be successfully achieved, and the concomitant decolonization could be effectively realized.

Statements in Exercise of Right of Reply

The representative of Israel, exercising the right of reply, said he was sorry about the “hate statement” made yesterday by the representative of Egypt, which had signed a peace agreement with Israel.

He urged the Palestinian delegation to observe that other nations who had achieved self-determination had not done so by denying that same right to others.  Israel would not succumb to violence and would not alter its policy as a result of terrorism.  It had no desire to control the lives of Palestinians.

Israel had always been willing to make sacrifices for the realization of peace, but the ongoing Palestinian terrorism had caused many Israelis to question whether the Palestinians were truly interested in peace, he said.  Israel would not compromise on the safety of its citizens.  But if the Palestinian leadership would abandon terrorism once and for all, it would find Israel willing to make compromises in order to make the Road Map a reality.

The representative of Egypt said that indeed a peace had been signed between Egypt and Israel.  That gave Egypt the right to comment on how Israel was carrying out its peace process today.  He encouraged the Israeli delegate to look around the conference room and ask himself how many countries had experienced an occupation such as that of Israel.

After Israeli practices in the region and the disregard of United Nations resolutions, the Israeli delegate had no right to lecture delegates on international law.  He added that hundreds of children had been killed as a direct result of the Israeli occupation.  How could the Israeli delegate talk about Palestinian terrorism after having been responsible for the killings and executions of hundreds of Palestinians, including the killing of innocent children?

The observer of Palestine said the Israeli representative, exercising his right of reply, had not responded to her statement today on racism.  She said she would address on Friday the issue of self-determination, in which she would respond to the Israeli representative’s statement that was full of distortions and misinformation.

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