12th session of Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the
Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
OPENING STATEMENT
The European Union welcomes the convening of the 12th Session of the Inter-governmental
Working Group, and would like to warmly welcome the re-election of the WG’s ChairmanRapporteur, his Excellency Ambassador Mohamed Siad Doualeh. We thank Ambassador
Doualeh and the Secretariat for their hard work in preparing for the session.
The EU remains strongly committed to the international fight against racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, as well as to the promotion and
protection of human rights for all without discrimination of any grounds. The respect for
human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, good governance and the rule of law, as well
as respect for human rights are founding values of the European Union. The EU believes
that the global fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,
without singling out any region, is an issue that concern us all and in which the international
community must be united. A multilateral and multi-stakeholder approach is therefore
needed.
With these principles in mind, the EU looks forward to engage in this 12th session of the
IGWG which is unique in the sense that it will be entirely devoted to the work on the
International Decade for People of African Descent.
The European Union welcomes the landmark consensus achieved with the adoption of the
General Assembly resolution on the Proclamation of the International Decade last
December. The mandate given to the IGWG to develop a draft programme for the
implementation of the International Decade is of crucial importance to the EU, as we have
long been calling for a proper intergovernmental process to develop the program for the
Decade on consensual basis. Only through true ownership and engagement of States can
the decade be successfully prepared and implemented.
The EU will engage actively and constructively in this process as set forth in the UNGA
resolution on the basis of all of the available inputs, including those from States and other
stakeholders. To this end we have presented a non-paper with proposals for the Decade in
response to the Chairman's request for submissions.
Of particular importance to the EU when addressing the challenges faced by people of
African Descent is that priority be put into effective implementation of the national and
international framework in combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance. The International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial
Discrimination is a key instrument in this regard and we need to step up its full and effective
implementation worldwide, as this still remains a challenge to many countries.
Our proposals focus overall on forward-looking actions, inter alia on the need to strengthen
national action to fight discrimination in relation to the full enjoyment of economic, social,
cultural, civil and political rights for all, including those of African Descent; to sensitize people
of African Descent and the wider society of their rights, as well as to raise awareness about
the Decade at national, regional and international level.
While drafting the proposals we have taken into account both the Secretary General's report
on how to make the International Decade effective, as well as the draft program of action
developed by the WGPAD, despite our well-known concerns about the scope and nature of
the latter.
Mr Chairman,
The EU remains committed to implementing the goals defined by the World Conference
against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Xenophobia and related intolerance. Looking
ahead of the coming two weeks, we hope that the IGWG will focus on proposals that unite
us, rather than on issues that have divided us in the past. We trust that Ambassador Doualeh
in his capacity as the Chairman-Rapporteur will contribute to making sure that we can have
meaningful discussions during this session, thanks to his experience and even-handed
leadership, and we assure him of our full support in this regard. The EU stands ready to
engage in an inclusive process of developing a consensual program for the Decade aiming
at positive change on the ground in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia
and related intolerance everywhere in the world.
Thank you