Delegates Unanimously Adopt Durban II Anti-Racism Declaration
21 Apr 09 | Ha’aretz
Over 100 countries at the United Nations-sponsored global summit on racism on Tuesday unanimously approved a declaration calling on the world to combat intolerance, as they sought to shake off the impact of a walk-out triggered by remarks from Iran.
The text, which “reaffirms” a contentious 2001 document that refers six times to Israel and the Middle East, was adopted by consensus and without debate at a public session, well before the end of the week-long meeting.
The original statement was issued after the United Nations’ first global racism meeting in Durban, South Africa. Israel was the only nation named specifically in that first declaration as a racist state. This was cited by the United States as a reason to boycott the Geneva meeting.
The early endorsement of the text, which was negotiated over several months in preparatory talks in Geneva, should help steady the troubled conference and return the focus to issues on its formal agenda, such as the links between poverty and discrimination. >>>
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