Subject: [fem-women2000 701] FWD: WCAR Update 23 from Isis International-Manila
From: Makoto TERANAKA <teramako@jca.apc.org>
Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 16:51:44 +0900
Seq: 701
Forward to fem-women2000@jca.apc.org. ------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 13:44:22 +0800 To: office@jca.apc.org >From: Kathy Clarin <kathy@isiswomen.org> Subject: WCAR Update 23 from Isis International-Manila In closing, NGO Forum proposes stronger, more specific references to discrimination The final Declaration and Programme of Action from the NGO Forum at the World Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Discrimination is still awaited three days after it closed. Much-debated drafts of the output documents have been floated, with differences ultimately persisting over positions on Palestine and Tibet. Israeli non-government organizations (NGOs) inserted text stating that anti-Zionism is equal to anti-Semitism. Put against the background of the Holocaust, which the Israelis repeatedly highlighted, Palestine supporters had a hard time of it to have the text changed even as they argued that the two cannot be equated. Almost every thematic and regional caucus at the gathering expressed concern with the fact that the Palestine issue had overshadowed all other issues. Even organisations of other displaced and violated peoples most fighting for the right to self-determination had little space to air their views. These included Tibetans, Kurds, Berbers and Hawaiians, among others. While the Draft NGO Declaration highlighted the plight of the Kurds, the Tibetans were horrified to find not a single mention of their problems. Other smaller organisations, such as the Oromia Support Group, working to bring to international attention, the violent repression of the Oromo people in Ethiopia, have made independent "contributions" to the official Working Group finalising the WCAR Declaration. The indigenous people's caucus was one of the best organised and coherent during the meetings. Led by the indigenous communities from North and Latin America, they were able to make clear stances and to lobby in order to gain the sympathy of NGOs around the world. The final recommendations emphasised indigenous peoples' right to decision-making, self-determination and also linked their problems to environmental racism. Many indigenous peoples' NGO representatives, however, expressed the opinion that there is insufficient mention of them in those sections of the Draft Declaration not directly focused on indigenous peoples, in paragraphs of issues such as reparations and migration. One of the most positive outcomes of the conference was the establishment of linkages between several groups working with migrant workers. Groups in Asia, especially Indonesian NGOs with Arab organisations, Bangladeshi groups with Malaysian and Hong Kong-based NGOs with others from south and southeast Asia set out concrete plans of action to deal with problems of migrant communities. Another positive evidence of the conference was that the gender perspective has become mainstreamed. 'Intersectionality' was a running theme through every debate, the main focus of 'inter-sectional' discrimination being the double discrimination faced by women as women and as ... migrants, refugees, black, dalits .... However, it was pointed out by the caucus on media that the racial stereotyping of women in mass media continues. The media caucus also higlighted the use of media and the new information and communications technologies in the propagation of hate speech. Participants in the caucus agreed that hate speech must be prohibited by enforcing codes of conduct with strict anti-racism standards and other self-regulatory mechanisms. The caucus on caste, while it was unhappy about the lack of support from the intergovernmental meeting, had the satisfaction of having the Draft NGO Declaration clearly spell out that "caste-based" and "work and descent" related discrimination are issues requiring UN intervention. Caste-based discrimination has been squarely put before the international community for the first time by activists. The movement initiated by Indian NGOs expanded to a more universal reckoning with NGOs from Nepal, Bangladesh, Japan, Nigeria and Senegal joining in with accounts of similar caste- or work- and descent-based discrimination in their countries. Among other groups whose voices were little heard during deliberations not all of who have their points of view expressed even in the NGO Declaration are the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual groups as well as groups advocating spirituality. A number of these organizations have, however, submitted independent contributions to the working group working on finalising the WCAR Declaration. Among others who have made independent contributions to the Working Group are indigenous peoples' organizations from the Americas and Europe, the European Women's Lobby group, and the international Human Rights Watch. The Human Right Watch has laid particular emphasis on bringing caste-based discrimination to the attention of the international community. As South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, President of the WCAR, still awaits the NGO recommendations, government deliberations over the text of the official Declaration has got well underway. The delay in the resolution of the NGO Declaration means that their recommendations are less likely to influence the official Declaration. At the opening of the WCAR, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said that "every country has some form of discrimination" and that all delegates to the conference must return to their homelands with concrete plans. All at the WCAR must assuredly agree, but sharp differences in the interpretations of what are effective and concrete plans are inevitably delaying decision-making. From the WCAR Media Team of ISIS International-Manila. _________________________________________________________________________ fem-Women2000@jca.apc.org for Women 2000, UN Special Session on Beijing+5 Searcheable Archive http://www.jca.apc.org/fem/news/women2000/index.shtml visit fem-net HomePage for other mailing lists http://www.jca.apc.org/fem