Civil Society Section Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DURBAN DECLARATION AND PROGRAMME OF ACTION General Assembly High-level Commemoration Meeting - 22 September 2011     Dear All,   On 22 September this year, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a one-day high-level meeting in New York to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action: – HYPERLINK http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=czh8asdab&et=1106199348584&s=1538&e=001ZOAWcW-axJdN3h9gmWJTQrlqD95uf6V0FnfaCaOssjr4pWKwjFBWVzizCcpU5JbpFv7cBFh2g2N8PCmAyKWkO2Md7Kr6__19_kKadKq4gS4= \t _blank http://goo.gl/SdX5d.   This document is the international community's blueprint for action to fight racism and was adopted by consensus at the 2001 UN World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa. It is an innovative and action-oriented agenda to combat all forms of racism and racial discrimination.   The tenth anniversary is an opportunity to renew and strengthen political commitment in the fight against racism and racial discrimination. The theme for the anniversary event is: Victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance: recognition, justice and development.   FORMAT   The General Assembly meeting is a one-day event at the level of Heads of State and Government, taking the form of a plenary session and a series of roundtable discussions.   The meeting will open at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, 22 September in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York. A short ceremonial opening will be followed by two consecutive roundtables from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. A closing plenary session will take place from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. where summaries of the roundtable discussions will be presented. The plenary is then expected to adopt a short and concise political declaration.   NGO PARTICIPATION   Non-governmental organizations (NGO) and other civil society actors are essential in combating all forms of racism. A representative of an NGO will speak at the opening plenary and selected representatives will be invited to attend the roundtable proceedings, while others will be able to follow the proceedings of the roundtable sessions in the overflow room.   All civil society and NGO representatives participating in the meeting must be active in the field of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.   In General Assembly resolution A/65/L.76, paragraph 5, on the Scope, modalities, format and organization of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the General Assembly invited the:   President of the General Assembly to draw up a list of representatives of civil society organizations, including non-governmental organizations active in the field of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related forms of intolerance and, taking into account the principle of equitable geographical representation, to submit the list to Member States for consideration on a no-objection basis, for participation in the high-level meeting.   To assist the President of the General Assembly in responding to paragraph 5 of this resolution, your organization is invited to answer a questionnaire.     Getting started: How to Complete the Questionnaire     Step 1. Prepare - organizational profile   Before you start, make sure your organization has an organizational profile in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs' (DESA) CSO Net database, with a corresponding login and password.   Generally, NGOs that have participated in United Nations meetings in New York in the past already have such a profile.   If your organization does not, to create a profile visit: – HYPERLINK http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=czh8asdab&et=1106199348584&s=1538&e=001ZOAWcW-axJeH4EQ-xv-bzANaOaMGsmPiHBZlP9D5IptZZ1YAa2kgVU0jRzynNM5s_idcYv_rCsSbmPBUDkN6t0CFjP8ZfPQfiUfWFJv4Dss= \t _blank http://goo.gl/8k9bL     To speed up your application, select Special Event/Apply for ECOSOC Status when asked for your organization's objective.   Approval of this profile can take up to 48 hours.   You will receive an email with your login and password details.   You can only complete the steps below with your organization's own login and password.   Step 2. Visit the CSO Net page of the Questionnaire   Visit: – HYPERLINK http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=czh8asdab&et=1106199348584&s=1538&e=001ZOAWcW-axJdgAKlTDwRnUL3-8t0hKp6aiKc202ovqjx5lfI1DfS_Gg_bz8FdsRhuDSyQOguXmK-IUzmUsIUat7NfEm8tMJXvEStXuQvad6A= \t _blank http://goo.gl/9lFAF   and follow the instructions.   You can see a preview of the questionnaire.   Step 3. Click Fill Out Form.   You will be asked to login before you can complete the form.   Step 4. Click Submit   You will receive a confirmation page with a reference number.     Deadline to submit questionnaire: 15 July 2011.   Following consideration by Member States, your organization may be contacted.     For updates, visit the webpage of the high-level meeting website at:   – HYPERLINK http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=czh8asdab&et=1106199348584&s=1538&e=001ZOAWcW-axJdyh7wb0F_Dj5vC1WXZ7odLKSzrw3MbC7m-6EKx1JCwMvAvSla-BqtCJ2Agif9qQ2Y0yyNRT3akpXguNYj4ova8DHD5nzXr6IcMCRJOnzq87fe7021v_ct9JVx2C-00q_8= \t _blank www.un.org/en/ga/durbanmeeting2011 *** For an unofficial translation into another language: – HYPERLINK http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=czh8asdab&et=1106199348584&s=1538&e=001ZOAWcW-axJd1MjNpMssE3E0WrlZsXb4JMH8aQUhRbUO3frYk34WPGjeypIHcY1Na3Kz4pEZh7O8QeuaDKcpcdOqsEDwL06gHL7Aw09BVkrreeQQNEbkb7g== \t _blank http://translate.google.com/ Best regards,   Civil Society Section Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Tel. +41 (0) 22 - 917 - 9656 Visit our website: – HYPERLINK http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=czh8asdab&et=1106199348584&s=1538&e=001ZOAWcW-axJccauRJLHrN_vTs6FhXhG7LzVt6TggRsa6Gwlbk9GkgP4h6GJxKcz5NDx6HjFirYmozKmArax4w2PWRz-JoXrGBmcKsiO-FfQrcc75sXn97mFmpRCMsISUQicyQBnyjyHEGdDHfbJ44O5oRMMFKAA67 \t _blank http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/CivilSociety.aspx     Click here to join our mailing list: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0015de0J6wWFJ4-CxbRgTKZbQ%3D%3D \t _blank http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0015de0J6wWFJ4-CxbRgTKZbQ%3D%3D