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Item 5 b (Complementary international standards)
Mr. Chairperson,
I have the honour to take the floor on behalf of the European Union.
The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.
The European Union welcomes the holding of this High Level Seminar, which will in the first few days focus on the issue of complementary standards. The decision to hold a High Level seminar was taken by the Third Session of the Intergovernmental Working Group. The European Union participated actively in that session and fully supported its outcome. In this regard, the European Union pays particular tribute to our Chair, H.E. Mr Juan Martabit for steering us towards consensus at that session. We express our hope and confidence that he we will be able to do likewise during this session.
In the view of the European Union the holding of the High Level Seminar should help focus the work of the Intergovernmental Working Group in helping States work towards to ensure the full and effective implementation of the commitments they undertook at the Durban World Conference. While we acknowledge that the Durban Conference recommended that the Commission on Human Rights prepare international complementary standards to strengthen and update international instruments in all their aspects, we trust that the Working Group will continue to focus on the whole range of commitments contained in the Durban Programme of Action.
Furthermore we should not ignore the progress made in areas relevant to the complementary standards aspect of the Working Group’s mandate, namely, progress thus far in the elaboration of a Comprehensive International Convention on Persons with Disability and the successful completion of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity. These are concrete steps already taken in the area of complementary standards.
Mr Chairperson,
One of the key commitments undertaken at the Durban World Conference was that States must fully implement all of their human rights obligations in order to effectively combat the scourge of racism. The World Conference recognised that the full implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) was critical to this fight. Furthermore, as stated by the Committee, the ICERD is a living instrument which continues to be relevant for new and contemporary forms of racism. Regrettably, five years after the Durban World Conference, ICERD is far from being fully and effectively implemented. Too many States Parties’ reports to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination are submitted late, if at all. And too many reports fail to detail the challenges faced in tackling racism. In short, as the Committee has concluded, too many states are failing to implement their obligations under the Convention. This is having a profound impact on the fight against racism.
The World Conference also called on all States that have not done so, to accede to the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination as a matter of priority. Regrettably, the goal of universal ratification by 2005 has not been met. The European Union believes that this is unacceptable and calls on all States that are yet to do, to accede to the ICERD as a matter of urgency. The EU also hopes that the publication on the OHCHR website of a listing of States that have not yet ratified the Convention will have a positive effect in that regard.
Mr Chairperson,
The European Union is committed to furthering the work of this body in examining possible complementary standards. We believe that three principles must guide our work:
Mr Chairperson,
Allow me to reiterate, as we have done before, that the European Union stands ready to engage in a constructive, meaningful analysis of potential complementary standards. Dialogue and consensus must however drive our work. It must also be driven by a sound assessment of the value-added of any new standards to the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Thank you, Mr Chairperson.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process
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