November 4, 2008
Unofficial Transcript of EYEontheUN
Statement of Algeria at the Third Committee on the Durban Review Conference

SALIM ABDELHAK of Algeria

My delegation would like to join with the statement made by Antigua and Barbuda on behalf of the Group of  77 on Item 62, Elimination of Racism and Racial Discrimination. Mr. Chairman, 2008 is the 60th anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first article of which states that all human beings are born free and equal in rights and dignity. However we are seeing today a worrying set back for the right to racial, cultural and religious diversity, through manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance exacerbated by their contemporary forms. We’re also seeing a denial of the right to self determination for some peoples, through the promotion of new unilateral interpretations of this right. The international community’s commitment  to fight wholeheartedly and effectively against racism as a priority,  a commitment undertaken in the framework of the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action. This commitment seems to be being eroded. Progress made in combating apartheid, racism and racial discrimination seems to be called into question. New forms of racism and their exploitation for political ends, has brought racism to new heights. It has been trivialized and promoted as a political program. Racist violence is thus justified and in some cases it finds a breeding ground in policies to combat illegal immigration and terrorism. Incitement to racial and religious hatred, particularly in respect to Islam is spreading with impunity through the defamation of religion in the name of freedom of expression, yet freedom of expression is among the fundamental freedoms that we must promote, it cannot however justify violations of  the profound convictions of individuals. The international community should mobilize to reverse this trend which fuels misunderstanding among different cultures and civilizations. Freedom of expression should not give rise to a selective ideological or hierarchic reading of  human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration enshrined equal treatment of rights. The Durban Review Conference is an opportunity to strengthen the Declaration and the Program of Action of the Durban Conference and to adapt them to emerging challenges. My delegation welcomes the holding of regional conferences in Abuja and Brasilia the results of which are an essential contribution to the  draft outcome document of the review conference. However we remain alarmed by the fact that preparatory  conferences for other regions have not yet taken place. Racism does not belong exclusively to certain regions, it is a phenomenon that affects all regions of the world which must  thus feel concerned by the Durban Review Conference. The international community should show a sense of responsibility and solidarity when dealing with racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, related intolerance and their contemporary forms which are among the underlying causes of a number of internal and international conflicts including armed conflicts. Along the same lines my delegation welcomes the establishment of the Working Group to Elaborate Complementary Norms to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, to deal with new forms and manifestations of racism. My delegation hopes that these new important complementary norms will be adopted by consensus in the near future. Mr. Chairman the denial of the rights to self-determination of  peoples which we are seeing in certain situations is a violation of human rights and a form of racism. The right of peoples to self-determination however is recognized and enshrined in the first article of the United Nations Charter as a fundamental principle in  international relations and one of the essential norms of International Law. This right was enshrined by a number of international texts and instruments, in particular resolution 1514 of 14th of  December 1960.  This right was also reaffirmed in the second and third articles of the Vienna Declaration Plan of Action. The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle if the United Nations, its exercise by a majority of people represented in our organization including the Algerian people, allowed them to free themselves from colonialism, to gain independence and to take their place in the international community. Today it is more urgent then ever to allow the peoples of the last territories included on the list of non self-governing territories of the UN including the Saharan  people to exercise without any restrictions this inalienable and non-negotiable right. I would not want to conclude without recalling that in occupied Palestine the Palestinian people continue to be denied the exercise of their right to self-determination as well as their most fundamental rights, and their legitimate aspiration to build their own independent and sovereign state with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital.