Intergovernmental Working Group on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action - 4th Session: 16-27 January 2006; Palais des Nations, Geneva. Chairman: Ambassador Juan Martabit (Chile)

Thematic analysis on Racism and Globalization (Agenda item 6): Debate: 23 January. Statement by David G. Littman - This is the text as spoken in the time permitted. (The complete text is also available)

Mr Chairman, this will be a joint statement on behalf of the 3 NGOs: Association for World Education, International Humanist and Ethical Union and Association of World Citizens. We wish to make a few comments to the Special Rapporteur on Racism - and ask him three specific questions.

But first let me say how shocked we were to read the remark by Roman Jäggi of the Swiss UDC party - reported in the Les Temps of Geneva on 14 January. He took umbrage at your criticism of certain human rights issues in Switzerland... because they emanated from "...a Senegalese." The same daily published a condemnatory reaction to this racist remark.

We have consistently condemned ad hominem attacks at the UN, as indicated in our text. Mr Chairman, your spontaneous no-nonsense reaction last Monday to one such unruly example was in that same spirit, and as NGOs, we wish to thank you sincerely for upholding UN rules.

I. In regard to the destruction and desolation policy in Darfur, which we referred to in our statement at the opening meeting (all our texts, including this one are on the outside table), we did not quote the allegations provided in your Report to the Commission (E/CN.4/2005/18/Add.1) in which you refer to a consistent pattern of racial discrimination.

Recently, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, declared: "Looking back at three years of killings and cleansing in Darfur, we must admit that our peace strategy so far has failed. All we did was picking up the pieces and muddling through, doing too little too late." [13 Jan. UN website]. And UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, commented a day before that Darfur represents "the most pressing political and humanitarian problem we have in Africa today." [Reuters, 12 Jan.] And on the very day this 4th session began, he was again quoted by Reuters as saying: "In my opinion, Darfur is the most dangerous crisis point in Africa and in the world in general" adding, that the "deteriorating situation in [Darfur] threatens [African] regional stability."

This was the opinion of AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare of Ethiopia too [9 Jan.]. On 10 December - Human Rights Day, we appealed to AU Representatives to the UN in Geneva, in which we expressed our astonishment that AU Chairmanship for 2006 might go to Sudan, a State whose policies and practices flout universally recognised human rights standards. 50 African human rights and humanitarian organizations also expressed their total dismay, and we are still hoping that common sense will prevail on such a crucial issue for the stability and peace of Africa, especially as yesterday - according to reports by AFP and Reuters

Our 1st question relates to this ghastly, racist tragedy - qualified as 'genocide' by a 566 to 6 vote in Sept. 2004 by the Parliament of the European Union, and by others. Sir, have you received a reply from the Government of Sudan, and - in view of recent UN reports, to which we have referred - will you now recommend that article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention & Punishment of the Crime of Genocide be invoked for Darfur? ['point of order' by Sudan]

II. Sir, on a second issue, and regarding your Report to the General Assembly of 19 August 2005 we were struck by your analysis of a thematic discussion on genocide, which is quoted in our text: "the Special Rapporteur stressed the importance of achieving intellectual and cultural agreement on the need to prevent genocide." You referred, inter alia, to "the importance of memory in the prevention of genocide.... Forgetting, hiding or obliterating the history of genocide perpetrated against a people also contributes to weakening the universal struggle against genocide."

Mr Chairman, at a Teheran conference on 26 October 2005, the Iranian President called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". He predicted: "very soon the stain of this disgrace [Israel] will be purged from the centre of the Islamic world." He warned peacemakers: "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury." [Interruption]

Mr Chairman, as recently as three weeks ago a television discussion on the Holocaust was shown on Iran's Channel 2. Excerpts translated into English by MEMRI were published under the title: 'Iran TV Discussion on the Myth of the Gas Chambers and the Truth of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.' The concluding words of an Iranian political analyst [Dr Majid Goudarzi] confirmed the official goal of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran: "I hope that one day humanity will reach the conclusion that the only solution for this cancerous growth [Israel] is surgery."

Only a week ago, the day the Working Group began its 4th session, an International Herald Tribune article had the caption: "Teheran to convene conference on Holocaust 'myth.'" In this same context, we wish to quote from CHR resolution 2005/5 which refers to practices that do "injustice to the memory of the countless victims of crimes against humanity committed in the Second World War (...) and poison the minds of young people, in particular in the year of the 60th anniversary of (...) the liberation of Auschwitz and other concentration camps, and that these practices may be incompatible with the obligations of States Members of the United Nations under its Charter and are incompatible with the goals and principles of the Organization." (§3) The Special Rapporteur was asked "to continue to reflect on this issue and to make relevant recommendations in his report." Governments and NGOs also.

What an irony that on 1 November this "direct and public incitement" for the destruction of a Member State of the United Nations - in total defiance of article 2 of the UN Charter, and coupled with a reiterated denial of the Holocaust - the General Assembly designated '27 January' each year as: "an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust."

Sir, during this very week at the United Nations in New York several events have been organised to mobilise civil society so as to help prevent current and future acts of genocide. It includes an NGO briefing on 26 January for a comprehensive theme: 'Remembrance & Beyond.' We hope that the shameless "direct and public incitement to commit genocide" by the Iranian president - and the repetitive Iranian denials of the Holocaust - will be evoked on that occasion, especially in relation to the pertinent article 3 (c) of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Having read the 'Conclusions and Recommendations' of your Report [E/CN.4/2005/18/Add.4],

Our 2nd question relates directly to this global matter. Sir, will you be in New York for any of these UN meetings and do you have 'recommendations' to make about President Ahmadinejed's calls for genocide - and his Holocaust denials?

III. The last point refers to 'Islamophobia'. In the 'Recommendations' of your Report E/CN.4/2005/18/Add.4, you state:
"the Special Rapporteur recommends that the Muslim minorities concerned and the Muslim countries... oppose any use of Islam to legitimize or justify political violence."

Since 2003, several of our NGOs have tried in vain to stress this aspect by a simple request regarding Resolution 2005/3: Combating defamations of religions sponsored since 1999 by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

They asked to insert a paragraph: to condemn all those who kill, or call on others to kill - in the name of God or religion. However, all such appeals have not yet been heeded.

Mr Chairman, our 3rd and last question to the Special Rapporteur on Racism: Sir, do you agree with this request - and would you recommend to the OIC sponsors of the resolution on 'Combating defamation of Religions' - that the above paragraphs should be inserted? Alternatively, an unambiguous and universal condemnation of all those who publicly 'defame' a religion by any theological justification for calls to kill in the name of God?

Thank you, Mr Chairman.