Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

Interview with the UN Special Rapporteur on racism during the 61st Session of the Commission on Human Rights - Multiculturalism, or challenging old ideas of identity construction -

Introduction

At its forty-ninth session, the Commission on Human Rights decided, in resolution 1993/20, to appoint, for a three-year period, a special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia and related intolerance, and to request him to report thereon to the Commission on an annual basis, beginning at its fiftieth session.

By its resolution 1994/64 of 9 February 1994 the Commission made the mandate more explicit and precise by requesting the Special Rapporteur:

“to examine in accordance with his mandate incidents of contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, any form of discrimination against Blacks, Arabs and Muslims, xenophobia, negrophobia, anti-Semitism and related intolerance, as well as governmental measures to overcome them, and to report on these matters to the Commission at its fifty-second session”

“to continue his exchange of views with the relevant mechanisms and treaty bodies within the United Nations system in order further to enhance their effectiveness and mutual cooperation”. The Commission also called upon “all Governments, intergovernmental organizations and other relevant organizations of the United Nations system, as well as non-governmental organizations, to supply information to the Special Rapporteur”

”to make the fullest use of all additional sources of information, including country visits and the evaluation of mass media, and to elicit the responses of Governments with regard to allegations”

The Commission also encouraged the Special Rapporteur:

“in close consultation with Governments, relevant organizations of the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, to present further recommendations concerning human rights education with a view to preventing actions giving rise to racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”

“to present concrete recommendations on specific measures which could be taken at the national, regional and international levels, with a view to preventing and eradicating problems within the purview of his mandate”

On 28 March 2008, the Human Rights Council in its resolution 7/34 decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance for a period of three years. The full text of this resolution is available here.

In the discharge of his mandate the Special Rapporteur:

-Transmits information or case summaries concerning alleged violations regarding contemporary forms of racism, discrimination based on race, xenophobia and related intolerance to the State concerned, in order to induce the national authority to undertake the necessary investigations of all the incidents or individual cases reported. (See Individual Complaints)

-Conducts country visits. (See Country Visits)

-Submits annual reports on the activities foreseen by the mandate to the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly. (See Annual Reports)

Special Rapporteurs:

-Mr. Doudou Diène (Senegal), since August 2002 (E/CN.4/RES/2002/68)

-Mr. Maurice Glèlè-Ahanhanzo ( Benin ), 1993 - July 2002