Source: Report of the Third Committee on the Elimination of racism and racial discrimination, A/61/441
Date: November 29, 2006

		International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination


	The General Assembly,
	Recalling its previous resolutions on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, most recently resolution 59/176 of 20 December 2004, 
	Bearing in mind the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993, in particular section II.B of the Declaration, relating to equality, dignity and tolerance, 
	Reiterating the need to intensify the struggle to eliminate all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance throughout the world,
	Reiterating also the importance of the Convention, which is one of the most widely accepted human rights instruments adopted under the auspices of the United Nations, 
	Reaffirming that universal adherence to and full implementation of the Convention are of paramount importance for promoting equality and 
non-discrimination in the world, as stated in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance on 8 September 2001, 
	Mindful of the importance of the contributions of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to the effective implementation of the Convention and to the efforts of the United Nations to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, 
	Emphasizing the obligation of all States parties to the Convention to take legislative, judicial and other measures in order to secure full implementation of the provisions of the Convention, 
	Recalling its resolution 47/111 of 16 December 1992, in which it welcomed the decision, taken on 15 January 1992 by the Fourteenth Meeting of States Parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to amend paragraph 6 of article 8 of the Convention and to add a new paragraph, as paragraph 7 of article 8, with a view to providing for the financing of the Committee from the regular budget of the United Nations, and reiterating its deep concern that the amendment to the Convention has not yet entered into force, 
	Stressing the importance of enabling the Committee to function smoothly and to have all necessary facilities for the effective performance of its functions under the Convention, 

		I
Reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

	1.	Takes note of the reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on its sixty-sixth and sixty-seventh and its sixty-eighth and sixty-ninth sessions;
	2.	Commends the Committee for its contributions to the effective implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,1 especially through the examination of reports under article 9 of the Convention, action on communications under article 14 of the Convention and thematic discussions, which contribute to the prevention and elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;
	3.	Calls upon States parties to fulfil their obligation, under article 9, paragraph 1, of the Convention, to submit their periodic reports on measures taken to implement the Convention in due time; 
	4.	Expresses its concern at the fact that a great number of reports are overdue and continue to be overdue, in particular initial reports, which constitutes an obstacle to the full implementation of the Convention; 
	5.	Encourages States parties to the Convention whose reports are seriously overdue to avail themselves of the advisory services and technical assistance that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights can provide, upon their request, for the preparation of the reports; 
	6.	Encourages the Committee to continue to cooperate and exchange information with United Nations bodies and mechanisms, in particular with the Human Rights Council, the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and with intergovernmental organizations, as well as with non-governmental organizations; 
	7.	Encourages States parties to continue to include a gender perspective in their reports to the Committee, and invites the Committee to take into account a gender perspective in the implementation of its mandate; 
	8.	Notes with appreciation the engagement of the Committee in the follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action;3
	9.	Expresses its appreciation for the efforts made so far by the Committee to improve the efficiency of its working methods, and encourages the Committee to continue its activities in this regard;
	10.	Welcomes in this regard measures taken by the Committee to follow up on its concluding observations and recommendations, such as the decision to appoint a follow-up coordinator and to adopt guidelines on the follow-up;
	11.	Encourages the continued participation of members of the Committee in the annual inter-committee meetings and meetings of chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies, especially with a view to a more coordinated approach to the activities of the treaty body system and standardized reporting; 

		II
Financial situation of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

	12.	Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the financial situation of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; 
	13.	Expresses its profound concern at the fact that a number of States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination have still not fulfilled their financial obligations, as shown in the report of the Secretary-General, and strongly appeals to all States parties that are in arrears to fulfil their outstanding financial obligations under article 8, paragraph 6, of the Convention; 
	14.	Strongly urges States parties to the Convention to accelerate their domestic ratification procedures with regard to the amendment to the Convention concerning the financing of the Committee and to notify the Secretary-General expeditiously in writing of their agreement to the amendment, as decided upon at the Fourteenth Meeting of States Parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination on 15 January 1992,4 endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 47/111 and further reiterated at the Sixteenth Meeting of States Parties on 16 January 1996; 
	15.	Requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure adequate financial arrangements and to provide the necessary support, including an adequate level of Secretariat assistance, in order to ensure the functioning of the Committee and to enable it to cope with its increasing amount of work;
	16.	Also requests the Secretary-General to invite those States parties to the Convention that are in arrears to pay the amounts in arrears, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-third session; 

		III
Status of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

	17.	Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; 
	18.	Expresses its satisfaction at the number of States that have ratified or acceded to the Convention, which now stands at one hundred and seventy-three;
	19.	Urges States parties to comply fully with their obligations under the Convention and to take into consideration the concluding observations and general recommendations of the Committee; 
	20.	Reaffirms its conviction that ratification of or accession to the Convention on a universal basis and the implementation of its provisions are necessary for the effectiveness of the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and for the implementation of the commitments undertaken under the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,3 and expresses its disappointment that universal ratification of the Convention was not achieved by the targeted date of 2005; 
	21.	Urges all States that have not yet become parties to the Convention to ratify or accede to it as a matter of urgency;
	22.	Urges States to limit the extent of any reservation they lodge to the Convention and to formulate any reservation as precisely and as narrowly as possible in order to ensure that no reservation is incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention, to review their reservations on a regular basis with a view to withdrawing them, and to withdraw reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention; 
	23.	Notes that the number of States parties to the Convention that have made the declaration provided for in article 14 of the Convention now stands at forty-nine, and requests the States parties that have not yet done so to consider making that declaration;
	24.	Invites the Chairman of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to present an oral report on the work of the Committee to the General Assembly at its sixty-third session under the item entitled “Elimination of racism and racial discrimination”; 
	25.	Decides to consider, at its sixty-third session, under the item entitled “Elimination of racism and racial discrimination”, the reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on its seventieth and seventy-first and its seventy-second and seventy-third sessions, the report of the Secretary-General on the financial situation of the Committee and the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention.

	 	Resolution 2106 A (XX), annex.
	 	A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.
	 	See A/CONF.189/12 and Corr.1, chap. I.
	 	See CERD/SP/45, annex.
	 	Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 18 (A/60/18).
	 	Ibid., Sixty-first Session, Supplement No. 18 (A/61/18).
	 	See ibid., Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 18 (A/60/18), annex IV.
	 	Ibid., Sixty-first Session, Supplement No. 18 (A/61/18), annex VI.
	 	A/61/186.
	 	A/61/260.