Durban revisited
June 9, 2008
The Globe and Mail
Original Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080609.EDURBAN09/TPStory/Comment
Less than five months ago, mindful of the anti-Israel farce into which the last United Nations conference on racism descended, the NDP endorsed the federal government's decision not to participate in the next one. New Democrats believe that the issue of anti-racism must be led by international voices that are respected throughout the world community, said Wayne Marston, the party's Human Rights Critic. This conference was clearly failing to achieve that.
Not much has changed since then. Preparations for the conference, derided by NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar in January for a lack of real anti-racism leadership on the planning committee, are being led by Libya - a country not known for its promotion of human rights. Iran, whose president has called for Israel to be wiped off the map and is a Holocaust denier, is also playing a pivotal role on the preparatory committee. There are signs that the conference, to be held in Geneva next year, will follow the same path as the one held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001.
A few optimistic words from UN officials, however, have prompted the NDP to undergo a change of heart. Citing assurances from Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour that the conference will not be allowed to veer off course, along with like-minded vows from a group of NGOs, Messrs. Dewar and Marston recently sent letters to Jason Kenney, the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism, urging the government to reconsider its boycott.
This about-face is not entirely surprising, since the boycott has been a source of dissent within the NDP. But if the party's leadership is convinced by the UN's promises, it is sadly naive. Similar assurances were offered prior to Durban, only to have it turn into a forum on the purported evils of Zionism. Both the United States and Israel walked out of that conference, and Canada should have done likewise. It is a wise policy to avoid Durban II entirely.