Combating Glorification of Nazism and Other Practices that Contribute to Fuelling Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

A/RES/68/150View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 67a Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, published in 2014.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report · 2014

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2014	A/69/339	Assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/68/150

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Anti-Discrimination Measures Nazism Racial Discrimination Radicalism

What’s in this document?

45 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the relevant provisions of the Durban DeclarationError: Reference source not found and of the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference,Error: Reference source not found in which States condemned the persistence and resurgence of neo-Nazism, neo-Fascism and violent nationalist ideologies based on racial and national prejudice and stated that those phenomena could never be justified in any instance or in any circumstances;

Takes note of the report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, prepared in accordance with the request contained in General Assembly resolution 67/154;¹²

¹²A/68/329.

Expresses its appreciation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for her commitment to maintaining the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance as one of the priority activities of her Office, and welcomes in this regard the launch by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of the database on practical means to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

Expresses deep concern about the glorification, in any form, of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism and former members of the Waffen SS organization, including by erecting monuments and memorials and holding public demonstrations in the name of the glorification of the Nazi past, the Nazi movement and neo-Nazism, as well as by declaring or attempting to declare such members and those who fought against the anti-Hitler coalition and collaborated with the Nazi movement participants in national liberation movements;

Emphasizes the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur that “any commemorative celebration of the Nazi Waffen SS organization and its crimes against humanity, whether official or non-official, should be prohibited by States”;¹³

¹³Ibid., para. 137.

Expresses concern at recurring attempts to desecrate or demolish monuments erected in remembrance of those who fought against Nazism during the Second World War, as well as to unlawfully exhume or remove the remains of such persons, and in this regard urges States to fully comply with their relevant obligations, inter alia, under article 34 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949;¹⁴

¹⁴United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1125, No. 17512.

Notes with concern the increase in the number of racist incidents worldwide, including the rise of skinhead groups, which have been responsible for many of these incidents, as well as the resurgence of racist and xenophobic violence targeting, inter alia, persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities;

Reaffirms that such acts may be qualified to fall within the scope of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,Error: Reference source not found that they may not be justified as exercises of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association as well as the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, and that they may fall within the scope of article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsError: Reference source not found and may legitimately be restricted, as set out in articles 19, 21 and 22 of the Covenant;

Expresses deep concern at attempts at commercial advertising aimed at exploiting the sufferings of the victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Second World War by the Nazi regime;

Stresses that the practices described above do injustice to the memory of the countless victims of crimes against humanity committed in the Second World War, in particular those committed by the SS organization and by those who fought against the anti-Hitler coalition and collaborated with the Nazi movement, and may negatively influence children and young people, and that failure by States to effectively address such practices is incompatible with the obligations of States Members of the United Nations under its Charter and is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Organization;

Also stresses that such practices fuel contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and contribute to the spread and multiplication of various extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazis and skinhead groups, and in this regard calls for increased vigilance;

Expresses concern at the human rights and democratic challenges posed by all extremist political parties, movements and groups;

Emphasizes the need to take the measures necessary to put an end to the practices described above, and calls upon States to take more effective measures in accordance with international human rights law to combat those phenomena and the extremist movements, which pose a real threat to democratic values;

Encourages States to adopt further measures to provide training to the police and other law enforcement bodies on the ideologies of extremist political parties, movements and groups whose advocacy constitutes incitement to racist and xenophobic violence, to strengthen their capacity to address racist and xenophobic crimes, to fulfil their responsibility of bringing to justice the perpetrators of such crimes and to combat impunity;

Notes the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur regarding the responsibility of political leaders and parties in relation to messages that incite racial discrimination or xenophobia;

Recalls the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur to introduce into national criminal law a provision according to which committing an offence with racist or xenophobic motivations or aims constitutes an aggravating circumstance, allowing for enhanced penalties, and encourages those States whose legislation does not contain such provisions to consider that recommendation;

Underlines that the roots of extremism are multifaceted and must be addressed through adequate measures such as education, awareness-raising and the promotion of dialogue, and in this regard recommends the increase of measures to raise awareness among young people of the dangers of the ideologies and activities of extremist political parties, movements and groups;

Reaffirms, in this regard, the particular importance of all forms of education, including human rights education, as a complement to legislative measures, as outlined by the Special Rapporteur;

Emphasizes the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur presented at the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, in which he emphasized the importance of history classes in teaching the dramatic events and human suffering which arose out of the adoption of ideologies such as Nazism and Fascism;

Stresses the importance of other positive measures and initiatives aimed at bringing communities together and providing them with space for genuine dialogue, such as round tables, working groups and seminars, including training seminars for State agents and media professionals, as well as awareness-raising activities, especially those initiated by civil society representatives, which require continued State support;

Calls upon States to continue to invest in education, in both conventional and non-conventional curricula, inter alia, in order to transform attitudes and correct ideas of racial hierarchies and superiority promoted by extremist political parties, movements and groups and counter their negative influence;

Underlines the potentially positive role that relevant United Nations entities and programmes, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, can play in the aforementioned areas;

Reaffirms article 4 of the Convention, according to which States parties to that instrument condemn all propaganda and all organizations that are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons of one colour or ethnic origin, or that attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form, and undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination and, to that end, with due regard to the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human RightsError: Reference source not found and the rights expressly set forth in article 5 of the Convention, inter alia:

Shall declare an offence punishable by law all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred, and incitement to racial discrimination, as well as all acts of violence or incitement to such acts against any race or group of persons of another colour or ethnic origin, and also the provision of any assistance to racist activities, including the financing thereof;

Shall declare illegal and prohibit organizations, and organized and all other propaganda activities, that promote and incite racial discrimination, and shall recognize participation in such organizations or activities as an offence punishable by law;

Shall not permit public authorities or public institutions, national or local, to promote or incite racial discrimination;

Also reaffirms that, as underlined in paragraph 13 of the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference, any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence should be prohibited by law, that all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred, or incitement to racial discrimination, as well as all acts of violence or incitement to such acts, shall be declared offences punishable by law, in accordance with the international obligations of States, and that these prohibitions are consistent with freedom of opinion and expression;

Recognizes the positive role that the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, as well as full respect for the freedom to seek, receive and impart information, including through the Internet, can play in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

Expresses concern about the use of the Internet to propagate racism, racial hatred, xenophobia, racial discrimination and related intolerance, and in this regard calls upon States parties to the Covenant to implement fully articles 19 and 20 thereof, which guarantee the right to freedom of expression and outline the grounds on which the exercise of this right can be legitimately restricted;

Recognizes the need to promote the use of new information and communications technologies, including the Internet, to contribute to the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

Also recognizes the positive role that the media can play in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, promoting a culture of tolerance and representing the diversity of a multicultural society;

Encourages those States that have made reservations to article 4 of the Convention to give serious consideration to withdrawing such reservations as a matter of priority, as stressed by the Special Rapporteur;

Notes the importance of strengthening cooperation at the regional and international levels with the aim of countering all manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, in particular regarding issues raised in the present resolution;

Stresses the importance of cooperating closely with civil society and international and regional human rights mechanisms in order to counter effectively all manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, as well as extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazis and skinhead groups, and other similar extremist ideological movements that incite racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

Encourages States parties to the Convention to ensure that their legislation incorporates the provisions of the Convention, including those of article 4;

Encourages States to adopt the legislation necessary to combat racism while ensuring that the definition of racial discrimination set out therein complies with article 1 of the Convention;

Recalls that any legislative or constitutional measures adopted with a view to countering extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazis and skinhead groups, and similar extremist ideological movements should be in conformity with the relevant international human rights norms, in particular articles 4 and 5 of the Convention and articles 19 to 22 of the Covenant;

Also recalls the request of the Commission on Human Rights, in its resolution 2005/5,Error: Reference source not found that the Special Rapporteur continue to reflect on this issue, make relevant recommendations in his future reports and seek and take into account in this regard the views of Governments and non-governmental organizations;

Encourages States to consider including in their reports for the universal periodic review and to treaty bodies information on the steps taken to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including with the aim of implementing the provisions of the present resolution;

Requests the Special Rapporteur to prepare, for submission to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session and to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-sixth session, reports on the implementation of the present resolution, in particular regarding paragraphs 4 to 6, 8 to 10, 19 and 20 above, based on the views collected in accordance with the request of the Commission, as recalled in paragraph 35 above;

Expresses its appreciation to those Governments that have provided information to the Special Rapporteur in the course of the preparation of his reports to the General Assembly, and notes the increase in such contributions received from States;

Stresses that such information is important for the sharing of experiences and best practices in the fight against extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazis and skinhead groups, and other extremist ideological movements that incite racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

Encourages Governments and non-governmental organizations to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur in the exercise of the tasks outlined in paragraph 35 above;

Encourages Governments, non-governmental organizations and relevant actors to disseminate, as widely as possible, information regarding the contents of and the principles outlined in the present resolution, including through the media, but not limited to it;

Decides to remain seized of the issue.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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