Durban declaration

The Group of 77 and China welcomes the reports of the Secretary General under this agenda item and the useful information and recommendations contained therein. We are pleased to note thatGovernments have taken various important steps at the national level to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Unfortunately, much more remains to be done. Racism, racialdiscrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance continue to bedevil the human race. The Third World Conference against Racism, in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, elaborated the stepsthat are necessary to bring to a close this sad chapter in the history of humankind.
Regrettably, the lack of political will to advance the global anti-racism, anti-discrimination agenda as expressedin the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action continues to hamper the effective combating of racism and its attendant scourges.
The Group of 77 and China is concerned that such political inactiongives comfort to and fuels dangerous political platforms that pander to racist and xenophobic tendencies in national election manifestos. The implementation of the commitments that the internationalcommunity undertook in Durban in 2001 has thus given way to political expedience, the result of which is the resurgence of racism in many parts of the world.

In view of the current global challengethat racism and racial discrimination pose, it is time for decisive action. The commitment of each State to combat racism and its attendant ills is now a matter of priority.
It is in this regardthat during the current session of the General Assembly, the Group of 77 and China will be calling for the adoption of a Durban review process. Such a process would bring the World Conference againstRacism in line with other major UN conferences and thus focus on the realities of present-day racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. We trust that this session of the...