AG/RES. 1695 (XXIX-O/99)

WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA, AND RELATED INTOLERANCE

(Resolution adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 8, 1999)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

CONSIDERING that the OAS Charter reaffirms, as one of the Organization’s underlying principles, that the American states proclaim the fundamental rights of the individual without distinction as to race, nationality, creed, or sex;

BEARING IN MIND that the United Nations General Assembly, by resolution 52/111, decided to convene a world conference against racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance;

RECALLING that, in its resolution, the UN General Assembly requested governments and regional organizations to assist the preparatory committee, undertake reviews and submit recommendations concerning the conference and the preparations therefor to the preparatory committee through the Secretary General, and to participate actively in the conference; and called upon states and regional organizations to hold national or regional meetings;

RECALLING resolutions AG/RES. 1404 (XXVI-O/96) and AG/RES. 1478 (XXVII-O/97), in which the General Assembly urged the member states to guarantee and exercise special vigilance regarding the human rights of indigenous populations, minors at risk, refugees, persons with disabilities, migrant workers and their families, detainees and prisoners, marginalized or minority groups, and victims of racial discrimination; and urged them to create conditions that will foster harmony and tolerance among those groups and all sectors of society; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the experience acquired by the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights since its creation, as well as its work in the field of human rights, particularly in the organization of regional meetings in preparation for the 1993 Vienna Conference on Human Rights and for the Beijing World Conference on Women,

RESOLVES:

1. To urge the member states to support the efforts to organize the world conference against racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

2. To acknowledge the efforts of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in support of regional preparations for the world conference against racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

3. To invite member states to cooperate with the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in its efforts to assist in the preparatory work for the inter-American meeting preceding the world conference.

4. To request the Secretary General of the Organization of American States to transmit this resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.