World Conference against Racism

The World Conference against Racism (WCAR) has been held three times: in 1978, 1983, and 2001.

1978 conference

1983 conference

2001 conference

The 2001 conference was held in Durban, South Africa, under UN auspices in September 2001, ending on September 8. Former Irish president Mary Robinson, then the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, presided as Secretary-General.

Entitled "World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance," the conference was ostensibly aimed at discussing unfair treatment of one group against another. Much of the deliberations, however, focused specifically on Israeli treatment of Palestinians, culminating in a controversial resolution equating Zionism with racism. Many critics charged that this was intended as an attack on Israel [1] (http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-schwartz120401.shtml). Both Australia and Canada made statements accusing the conference of hypocrisy. For example,

"Canada is still here today only because we wanted to have our voice decry the attempts at this Conference to de-legitimize the State of Israel and to dishonour the history and suffering of the Jewish people. We believe, and we have said in the clearest possible terms, that it was inappropriate - wrong - to address the Palestinian-Israel conflict in this forum. We have said, and will continue to say, that anything - any process, any declaration, any language - presented in any forum that does not serve to advance a negotiated peace that will bring security, dignity and respect to the people of the region is - and will be - unacceptable to Canada." ([2] (http://www.unhchr.ch/huridocda/huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/A.Conf.189.12.En?Opendocument), page 119)

It was for this reason that both the United States and Israel pulled their delegations from the WCAR. However, other critics have claimed that the United States policy also related to demands for reparations for slavery in the New World. [3] (http://www.cpusa.org/article/articleview/163/1/39/)

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