 21 March 2010 -- On this day in 1960, the township of Sharpeville, South Africa was rocked by violence when police opened fire and killed 69 people peacefully demonstrating against apartheid "pass laws". The notorious passbooks were a repressive tool to control the movements of black South Africans. The United Nations General Assembly subsequently declared 21 March to be the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and called on the international community not only to commemorate that tragedy, but also to work together to combat racism and discrimination wherever they exist.
The focus of this year’s observance is on the interface between racism and sport. As South Africa will be the first African country to host the FIFA Football World Cup, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that, "It is our collective responsibility to ensure that there will be no room for racist and xenophobic acts, both inside and outside stadiums". More broadly, he added, "we must push for all sports organizations to adopt stringent anti-discrimination policies, as well as frameworks for punishing the perpetrators of racist incidents and justice for the victims".
Last year, this Day occurred just prior to the April 2009 "Durban Review Conference" in Geneva. This was a follow-up to the 2001 "World Conference against Racism". Despite controversies, the 2001 conference produced a Declaration and Programme of Action, stating commitments to end racial discrimination, including the statement that "education, development and the faithful implementation of all international human rights norms and obligations, including enactment of laws and political, social and economic policies, are crucial to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance".
Sources: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (United Nations)
Selected learning materials
Learning Activities for Use With Young People to Explore the Issue of Discrimination
These five lesson activities, developed by Amnesty International, explore the issue of discrimination using discussion, group exercise, project work and a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The international basis for intercultural education including anti-racist and human rights education
The goal of this publication is to make international human rights treaties more known and particularly those that consider teaching and education as effective means to shape international human rights standards into reality.
United Nations Guide for Minorities
This guide has been prepared with a view to assisting minorities in understanding how to seek protection of their rights through the different procedures existing at the international and regional levels. Practical advice is also given on how to take legal action where members of minorities consider that their rights under a particular treaty have been violated.
Using the international human rights system to combat racial discrimination. A Handbook by Amnesty International
This handbook is intended to be of use to non-governmental organisations and others who wish to address and combat racial discrimination.
The Struggle Against Discrimination: A Collection of International Instruments Adopted by the United Nations System (by UNESCO)
Anti-Slavery Fact Sheets
World Conference Against Racism
This page contains information and resources on the United Nations World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) (31 August-7 September 2001), the Youth Summit (26-27 August 2001) and the NGO Forum (28 August-1 September 2001).
International and regional standards on combating racial discrimination:
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Adopted and opened for signature and ratification by UN General Assembly resolution 2106 (XX) of 21 December 1965. Entered into force on 4 January 1969, in accordance with Article 19)
- Convention (No. 143) concerning Migrations in Abusive Conditions and the Promotion of Equality of Opportunity and Treatment of Migrant Workers (Adopted by the General Conference of the International Labour Organisation on 24 July 1975. Entered into force on 9 December 1978, in accordance with article 18)
- International Convention against Apartheid in Sports (Adopted and opened for signature and ratification by General Assembly resolution 40/64 of 10 December 1985)
- Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (Adopted by General Assembly resolution 47/135 of 18 December 1992)
Useful Links
Durban Review Conference 2009
World Conference Against Racism (2001)
Links to organisations that are involved in preventing and combating racism and racial discrimination
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