Permunent Mission of the Republic of Zimbabwe to the United Nutions

STATEMENT BY H. E. BONIFACE G. CHIDYAUSIKU AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE THIRD COMMITTEE ON AGENDA ITEM 70 (a) ELIMINATION OF RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE

7 NOVEMBER 2OO7 NEW YORK

Check against Delivery street. New York, NY' 10022 Missionof the Republicof Zimbabweto the UnitedNations- 128East 56th Permanent Tel. (212)980-9511 Fax. (2r2) 30&6705 E-mail: zimbabwe@un.int.org

Mr.Chairman, on the once againto address Committee this is Zimbabwe honoured important agenda item. My delegation wishes to extend its "pbr""i"tion for the manner in which you are conductingthe of detiberations this committee. with that made by the G77 At the outset,let me align my statement of and Chinaand the one madeby SADCon the Elimination Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.I Racial Discrimination, remarks. additional wishto makethe following however Mr Chairman, When we met in Durbanin 2001,we were unitedin our resolveto We ensurethat everyhumanbeinghas a rightto live in dignity. were to shouldbe subjected to determined ensurethat nobodyanywhere of because by the insultand offenceof beingdespised another/others We beliefs. were originand religious his/herrace,colour,nationality, everyone also committedto the realisationof the objectivethat with shouldenjoy humanrightsas equalswith otherhumanbeings, of boththeirfutureand destiny to everyrightand possibility determine theircountries. Mr Chairman, and Zimbabwenotes with deep concernthat racism,xenophobia whatwas to continue reartheiruglyheadsdespite intolerance related disturbed the contents by is agreedin Durban. My delegation further on of the recent reportsof the SpecialRapporteur Contemporary which intolerance and RacialDiscrimination related formsof Racism, indicatedthat racism is still on the rise and endemic in some societies. Mr Chairman. We assert that no culture,languageor traditionof any people is inferior, deserving of being despised, mocked and destroyed.

to are entitled and is Zimbabwe of the viewthat ail peopres ail nations we prlOe,, a people haveknownthe As and theirnational theiridentity and we continue and coionialism racism, of bitterexperience slavery, do with their effeits to date and we will probably so for a to strrgdrle considerabletime to come. we are however convinced that of eradication this racistcultureis only possibleif we unite against that fan racialhatred. attitudes Mr Chairman, between We note with concernthat there is a causal relationship social exclusionand economic marginalisation, underdevelopment, and oppression on and poverty the one hand and racism, disparities of in on relatedintolerance the other.This is apparent the context the processand its adverseimpactand effectsparticularly globalisation on developing countries. We however take solace that the that povertyis not a natural has accepted community international The international human conditionbut a productof humanactivity. and will the muster political to fightpoverty musttherefore community for attaindevelopment all in orderto ensurepeaceandtranquillity. Mr.Chairman, we On manyoccasions, havespokenof the needto treatthe issueof protection human rightsfor all in a fair and of and the promotion to the to we continue observe tendency Yet manner. today, balanced treat some peopleor groupsof peopleas havingmore rightsthan is by Zimbabwe deeplyconcerned the EU's, others. In this regard, USA's and CANZ's daily rhetoricand posturingon human rights use which they conveniently to attacksome of our countries, yet of they are failing dismallyto addressthe manifestations racism, and relatedintolerance their in xenophobia racial discrimination, countries. Mr Chair1an, and In Europe and elsewhere,racism towards non- Europeans, such as takessubtleas well as violentshapes; in Africans particular physical legislationand everyday police brutality,discriminatory - Nazi groups.In addition, there is metaphorical lynchingby neo

the denounce racial by lynching the mediaof thosewho darepublicly all towards these of and discrimination the indifference the authorities violations. the EuropeanUnion members'treatmentof migrant Furthermore, workersand membersof their familiesleavesa lot to be desired. in Migrants suffer discrimination their daily exercise of rights, socialand culturalrights.They are also more es[eciallyeconomic, vuinerable to physical and psychologicalabuses and social acts. as stigmatisation well as otherdegrading Mr Chairman, ls it not ironic and sad that here in the USA, the self-proclaimed of standards justice. citadelof the world,there remaintwo different where6 of We speakin particular the caseof the Jena6 in Louisiana, for young black boys face decadesof imprisonment a schoolyard to brawlwhich arosefrom them havingthe audacity sit undera tree we reservedfor whites.Just recently, were shockedwhen a Ku Klux officeat Clan noose was hangedat the door of a black professor's maybeas a reminder her of what used to to ColumbusUniversity, race. of happento people the professor's related the African American In addition, negligence the to victims of hurricaneKatrinadisasterin Louisiana which the whole world saw highlightsthe dire realitiesfacing tens of millions of African Americansand other minoritygroupsin the UnitedStates.Of the more than 300 000 people in New Orleans who could not be timeously evacuated, vast majority the wereblacks. is impossible lt to ignore the racism and class issues associated with this natural yet disaster; this is precisely whatthe BushAdministration did. Mr Chairman, More than half of the two millioninmatesincarcerated American in jails are blacks. This confirms viewthat the anti-crime the rhetoric of racial dimension. American authoritieshas a not-too-subtle The projection crude stereotypes the link betweencriminality of on and people is apparent. lt is hoped that all these racist black

Rapporteur's on will manifestations, be reported in the next Special reports. Mr Chairman, that has canada,shistoryof discrimination been keptso well hidden to entry most canadian" oo not know that blackshad been refused were and canada on the basisof raceand ethnicity thatvotingrights The canadianstatefor yearschose canadians. deniedto aboriginal ratherthan the 6n its immigrants the basis of racialcategorisation, givento immigrants with preference meritsof the applicant, individuJl British)origin over the so-called of NorthernEuropean(especially ,,blackand Asiatic races. Racismis still systematic Canadian in of or acts such as violence segregation societyand raciallymotivated groupsare commonethno-racial Mr Chairman, gone publicwith their non have unashamedly The Australians Yet in refugees theircountry. theydisplay of preference dark-skinned 3 On on a holierthanthou attitude the issueof humanrights. October Kevin Andrews,was Ministerfor lmmigration, the 2OO7, Australian "Australia not allow anymoreblack will quoted as havingsaid that to citingtheir inability integrate WhiteAustralia Africanrefugeeslnto as culture the reason.We wonder Anglo-Saxon into a predominantly human rights from self-proclaimed in what way these utterances championshelp in the fight againstracism,racialdiscrimination, Does this not confirm the xenophobiaand related intolerance. political culture? In view of of prevalence racismin the Australian time constraints,I chose not to go further in chroniclingthe in of racistpoliciesin the treatment aborigines Australia systematic formsof racism. as and the Maorisin New Zealand succinct Mr Chairman It is very clear that we live in a world where racism, racial xenophobia and related intoleranceis still in discrimination, the and abundance a lot stillhas to be donein Europe, usA, canada, will the and New ZealandWe deplore lackof political within Australia of to and otherswith respect the implementation the abovecountries

the to we urgethese countries guarantee the follow up to Durban. "living containedin the covenantof principle of co- integration iogether in esteem of our diversity";and to see to it that antidiJcriminatoryprovisions in constitutionsand legislationsare respected. Mr Chairman, on to wishesto make reference the Committee the My delegation whichwas set up in Durbanto of Elimination RacialDiscrimination of look into the problems peopleof Africandescentin the diaspora that We Council. are concerned since and reportto the HumanRights has not been able to fully carry out its the Committee its inception mandatedue to inadequateresources. We thereforerequestthat funds be made available to the Special Rapporteurand the of themto visitthe citadels racism. to Committee enable Mr Chairman, In conclusion,in order to make progresson these issues,the of communitymust commit itself to the promotion a international peace,basedon equaldignityand worth of all cultureof harmony, peoples and between as humanbeings, well as justiceandtolerance nations. I thankyou.