...s racial discrimination broadly and concretely. Adopted in 1965, its definition of racial discrimination includes any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin hich has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.The reality of racism does not turn only on the definition of the groups that are oppressed, or on the much disputed concept of race itself, but may be driven largely by the perceptions of the oppressor. Racism blights the lives of groups defined primarily by ethnicity, caste, or an identity shaped by religion. Unlike class or other indicators of social status, these are attributes by hich people are instantly identified and hich can not readily be shed. Even if the very idea of race is discounted, racism is a very real and deadly phenomenon. The convention on racial discrimination requires states to guarantee to all individuals the enjoyment of rights ithout such discrimination--and to ensure that public policies are discriminatory neither in purpose nor in effect. In many countries, the discriminatory effect of public policy, regardless of its intent, serves to lock people aay from the exercise of civil and political rights--and by doing so bars their ay to the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights. International action to combat racism has long been on the agenda of the United Nations and regional intergovernmental bodies, as ell as the object of campaigning by a vast constellation of nongovernmental organizations. The apartheid regime in South Africa as a focus of much of this international effort, particularly after the dismantling of legal segregation in the United States and the gradual efforts to remedy its consequences. The end of apartheid in 1994 as a landmark in this struggle, but the challenge remained. Just one month before Nelson Mandelas May 9, 1994, election to the South African presidency, Hutu extremists launched a campaign of genocide against the Tutsi minority in Randa. Racism and intolerance in Africas Great Lakes region and elsehere persisted in many forms even here the basis of otherness itself as clouded. The Hutu-Tutsi divide in Randa and neighboring states as itself founded on a blurring over time of social strata into something approximating ethnicity. The so-called ethnic cleansing of the former Yugoslavia, in turn, as driven by a racism defined by ethnicity, religion, language, and national origin. In the year 2000, millions faced violence, internal displacement, the arbitrary loss of their nationality, or expulsion from their countries by reason of their descent. Millions more faced pervasive racism that as less apparent to the casual observer--but as in its effect often no less pernicious. Human Rights atch in 2000 brought a ne focus to the issue of racial discrimination as it affects migrants and refugees and populations identified by caste. The organizations ork concentrated on the discriminatory impact of state policy and practice in to areas. These ere discrimination in the determination of nationality and citizenship rights, and discrimination in criminal justice and in the public administration of state institutions, services, and resources. These issues are discussed further belo. The orld Conference Against RacismThe Third orld Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance ill be held in South Africa from August 31 to September 7, 2001. The conference ill be the first forum of its kind since the end of apartheid in South Africa previous orld conferences ere held in 1978 and 1983. As such, it can build upon the lessons learned in abolishing the apartheid system, hile addressing the racist effect of other policies and practices that continue to afflict hole populations. Its convening reflects both the achievements of the international community and the ongoing challenges it faced in combatting racism. It should celebrate the end of apartheid--but there ill be little else to celebrate unless the conference itself catalyzes real introspection by participating governments and real mechanisms for change. ith the end of apartheid, there as some concern that in this third conference the continuing challenge of racism ould be portrayed by governments as largely a matter of education, control, and punishment of ordinary people--to confront racism hich as in some ay inherent, spontaneous, and natural. There seemed a real risk that the international community ould focus first on treating racism as a social disease, its vectors of transmission the ordinary citizen, private groups, and unscrupulous Internet service providers. In initial planning sessions, the role of governments and government officials at all levels, from education ministries to community police, in imposing and enforcing policies ith racist effect ent largely unvoiced. Rather, governments vied to hold themselves up as exemplars in identifying best practices in eliminating overt racism from public policy and private practice and in their pedagogic efforts to preach tolerance. The identification and remedying of the racist effect of government policies and practices here racist intent as not clearly present ere largely off the agenda. The preparations for the orld Conference ere undertaken by governments and civil society alike. Early consultations generated ne nongovernmental alliances, bringing together legal reform groups, advocates for migrants and refugees, omens rights activists, faith-based organizations, civil rights activists and human rights groups, veteran campaigners of the anti-apartheid movement, a ide spectrum of minority rights groups, and other grass-roots activists. These nongovernmental organizations have already organized scores of consultative meetings in many countries, hile participating in the preparatory meetings, expert seminars, and regional conferences of the United Nations formal program. The consultative meetings and the expert seminars have already made a significant contribution to the substance of the orld Conference and should go some ay toard encouraging government representatives to take seriously their responsibilities to combat racism.The Preparatory Committee for the orld Conference identified five broad themes for the provisional agenda of the conference at its first session in May 2000. These ere the sources, causes, forms, and contemporary manifestations of racism the victims measures of prevention, education and protection the provision of effective remedies and strategies to achieve full and effective equality. In some of these areas considerable dissent as registered by poerful governments. To governments of countries in hich caste as the focus of discriminatory treatment--India and Japan--called for the exclusion of desce...
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