Discrimination and Intolerance - March 2013

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

March 21 marks International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, as proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly resolution No. 2142 (XXI). The date was chosen for the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in South Africa, during the Apartheid era. Although Apartheid has since been dismantled in that country, all over the world racist and discriminatory practices persist that are an affront to the dignity and equality of persons.

In the context of the inter-American system, the issue of racism and racial discrimination has been a part of the agenda of the Organization of American States for some years and, in 2005, a working group was established with the mandate of preparing a Draft Inter-American Convention against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance. At present, the Working Group's activities are oriented toward creating two legally binding instruments to combat racism, racial discrimination, and all forms of discrimination and intolerance in the region.

Since the beginning of this process, the Department of International Law has been discharging its General Assembly mandate to render assistance to the Working Group. In this context, the Department provides legal advisory to the Working Group and assists in the organization of special meetings.

The Department of International Law also works on issues concerning Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Descendants in the Americas, as well as other groups that could potentially be victims of discrimination. The Department has specifically addressed racial discrimination and its effects on these individuals and groups through a variety of projects implemented in these areas. The Department has also produced documents, studies, publications and, in general, organized training activities for civil society organizations on these issues.

Furthermore, the Department of International Law has worked closely with other bodies, including the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and the organs created as part of that process, as well as other related forums, with the aim of harnessing synergies between the regional and universal processes.

It should be recalled, finally, that racial discrimination has been condemned by the OAS General Assembly in several resolutions, documents emanating from the Summits of the Americas process, and other regional instruments, such as the 2000 Declaration of Santiago. For its part, the Inter-American Democratic Charter provides that elimination of all forms of discrimination and respect for ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in the Americas contribute to strengthening democracy and citizen participation.

Lastly, the right to nondiscrimination by reason of race is recognized by both the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and the American Convention on Human Rights.

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