Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 108 Elimination of racism and racial discrimination, published in 1997.

What other versions does this mandate have?

15 versions · 1983–2002

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/56/265

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2002	A/RES/56/265	Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination	634	19%Compare
1997	A/RES/51/81	Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination	1,595	71%Compare
1996	A/RES/50/136	Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination	1,374	31%Compare
1995	A/RES/49/146	Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination	3,613	79%Compare
1994	A/RES/48/91	Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination	4,023	—

What’s in this document?

26 operative paragraphs

Declares once again that all forms of racism and racial discrimination, whether in their institutionalized form or resulting from official doctrine of racial superiority or exclusivity, such as ethnic cleansing, are among the most serious violations of human rights in the contemporary world and must be combated by all available means;

Recalls with satisfaction the proclamation of the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, which began in 1993, and requests the Secretary-General to make a further review of the Programme of Action with a view to making it more effective and action-oriented;

Calls upon Governments to cooperate more closely with the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to enable him to fulfil his mandate;

Urges all Governments to take all necessary measures to combat new forms of racism, in particular by adapting constantly the means provided to combat them, especially in the legislative, administrative, educational and information fields;

Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to give priority, through the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat, to the follow-up of programmes and activities for combating racism and racial discrimination;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to accord special attention to the situation of migrant workers and members of their families and to include regularly in his reports all information on such workers;

Calls upon all Member States to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families as a matter of priority;

Commends all States that have ratified or acceded to the international instruments to combat racism and racial discrimination;

Encourages the media to promote ideas of tolerance and understanding among peoples and between different cultures;

Recommends that a seminar be organized by the Centre for Human Rights in cooperation with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Telecommunication Union and other relevant United Nations bodies, non-governmental organizations and Internet service providers, with a view to assessing the role of the Internet in the light of the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue the study on the effects of racial discrimination on the children of minorities, in particular those of migrant workers, in the fields of education, training and employment and to submit, inter alia, specific recommendations for the implementation of measures to combat the effects of that discrimination;

Urges the Secretary-General, United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies, all Governments, intergovernmental organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations, in implementing the Programme of Action for the Third Decade, to pay particular attention to the situation of indigenous people;

Requests States to consider the relevant decisions of the Economic and Social Council on the integrated follow-up to previous world conferences and the need to make optimum use of all available mechanisms in the struggle against racism;

Strongly underlines the importance of education as a significant means of preventing and eradicating racism and racial discrimination and of creating awareness of principles of human rights, particularly among young people, and in this regard renews its invitation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to expedite the preparation of teaching materials and teaching aids to promote teaching, training and educational activities on human rights and against racism and racial discrimination, with particular emphasis on activities at the primary and secondary levels of education;

Considers that all the parts of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade should be given equal attention in order to attain the objectives of the Decade;

Regrets the lack of interest, support and financial resources for the Third Decade and its related Programme of Action, reflected in the fact that the Centre for Human Rights has been able to organize only one seminar since the adoption of resolution 48/91 in 1993, and notes that unless a supplementary financial effort is made very few of the activities planned for the period 1994-1997 will be carried out;

Considers that voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund for the Programme for the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination are indispensable for the implementation of the Programme;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the necessary financial resources are provided for the implementation of the activities of the Third Decade during the biennium 1996-1997;

Also requests the Secretary-General to accord the highest priority to the activities of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade;

Further requests the Secretary-General to submit each year to the Economic and Social Council a detailed report on all activities of United Nations bodies and the specialized agencies, containing an analysis of information received on such activities to combat racism and racial discrimination;

Invites the Secretary-General to submit proposals to the General Assembly with a view to supplementing, if necessary, the Programme of Action for the Third Decade;

Invites all Governments, United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, as well as interested non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, to participate fully in the Third Decade;

Strongly appeals to all Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals in a position to do so to contribute generously to the Trust Fund for the Programme for the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, and to this end requests the Secretary-General to continue to undertake appropriate contacts and initiatives to encourage contributions;

Invites the Commission on Human Rights to consider at its fifty-third session as a matter of priority the question of a possible world conference to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other related contemporary forms of intolerance and to make appropriate recommendations through the Economic and Social Council to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session;

Once again requests the Secretary-General to consult Member States and intergovernmental as well as non-governmental organizations on the possibility of holding a world conference to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other related contemporary forms of intolerance;

Decides to keep the item entitled "Elimination of racism and racial discrimination" on its agenda and to consider it as a matter of the highest priority at its fifty-second session.

Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

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What’s in this document?

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