Press Release on the situation at the World Conference Against Racism

Press Release on the situation at the World Conference Against Racism

We would like to address several key issues surrounding the procedures leading to the adoption of the NGO Declaration and Programme of Action.

Throughout the Preparatory Process of the World Conference Against Racism, there has been a substantial lack of consistency and clarity when guiding the NGOs on the procedures for drafting and submitting language for the draft NGO Declaration and Programme of Action.

The peak of this confusion arrived during the chaotic «adoption» process of the NGO documents, when numerous NGOs left the room in frustration leading to a lack of «proper» consensus in the approval of the documents.

We support the rights of victims to define themselves, but cannot endorse language that incites hatred, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia or related intolerances.

Despite our objections to the process, we intend to support the positive aspects of the work accomplished by NGOs before and during the NGO Forum within the framework of thematic commissions and caucuses, e.g. issues concerning acknowledgement and reparations for African and African Descendants as was agreed upon in our joint statement with the African an African Descendants Caucus during the 3rd Prep. Com. for the WCAR.

We are determined to continue to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerances and to achieve the affective translation of the concerns and proposals of the NGOs involved in this process.

Signing organisations:
LBR - National Bureau against Racial Discrimination - The Netherlands
MRAP - Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l'Amitie entre les Peuples - France
Coordination francaise pour le Lobby Europeen des Femmes - France
LICRA - Ligue Internationale contre le racisme et l'antisemitisme - France
MRAX - Mouvement contre le Racisme, l'antisemitisme et la Xenophie - Belgium
MAPP - Mouvement pour l’Abolition de la Prostitution et de la Pornographie et de toutes fromes de violence suxuelle et sexiste - France
SOS Racismo - Portugal
Coalition against Trafficking in Women - England
Intitut fuer Migrations- und Rassismusforschung - Deutschland
Magenta Amsterdam - The Netherlands
National Federation of Anti Discrimination Agencies of the Netherlands - The Netherlands

For further information, contact Art.1:
tel. ++31-10-2010201, email.