Original Source: http://www.minbuza.nl/en/news/newsflashes,2009/04/Netherlands-will-not-participate-in-UN-anti-racism.html

The Netherlands will not participate in UN anti-racism conference
19 Apr 2009 | The Netherlands will not participate in the United Nations anti-racism conference to be held next week in Geneva, Switzerland. The proposed final declaration is not in keeping with the aim of the conference and the Netherlands finds it unacceptable.
The conference against racism is too important to allow it to be misused for political purposes and attacks on the West, said foreign minister Maxime Verhagen. The Netherlands will have no part in that.
The UN conference is a follow-up to the anti-racism summit in Durban, South Africa, in 2001.
Mr Verhagen calls the final declaration that is now on the table a lost opportunity. Several countries that still have a great deal to do in the area of human rights are misusing the summit to elevate religion above human rights, to place unnecessary restrictions on freedom of expression, to ignore discrimination based on sexual orientation, and to implicitly single out Israel and put it in the dock.
In the course of the negotiations on the final document, the Netherlands has consistently adopted a principled but constructive stance, and has proposed several alternative texts. Despite this, the mood remained grim, and Western countries were the target of political attacks. As a result, the Netherlands has lost confidence in arriving at an acceptable declaration and no longer believes that the conference can genuinely contribute to the fight against racism.
The Netherlands steadfastly supports the promotion of human rights and takes the fight against discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, sexual orientation, beliefs and political convictions very seriously. That it why it has made every effort in both the UN and the EU to bring the lengthy negotiations on a final document to a successful conclusion.
Fighting racism and every other form of discrimination remains a government priority, both nationally and internationally. In 2003 the Netherlands drew up a national action plan against racism in dialogue with civil society. The government is currently updating the plan.
In international organisations, too, the Netherlands will continue to promote worldwide protection of ethnic, religious and other minorities, and to oppose discrimination of every kind.
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