Combating Racial Discrimination in the World and in Europe

Abstract

The struggle against racism and racial discrimination requires a broad strategy of action, ranging from legal and political measures, including measures of conflict resolution and confidence building, to policies in the fields of teaching, education, culture and information. Attention is paid to the actions taken over the years by the United Nations to eliminate racism and racial discrimination. It may be concluded that the actions to combat racism and racial discrimination had, at least at the level of the United Nations, a spear-head function on the road to the progressive development of strategies and policies for dealing with the promotion and protection of human rights in general. Racial discrimination is a global problem that manifests itself in a variety of ways. The international standards, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations, are applicable to all and not only with respect to a pre-selected number of countries and situations. These standards are universal. Subsequently, the question of racism and racial discrimination as it manifests itself in Europe is dealt with. With the disappearance of totalitarian communism, Europe has become a complicated place where in several areas national and ethnic violence has reached proportions and a degree of hatred and cruelty which are reminders of the days of World War II. Radical sentiments of nationalism and ethnocentrism re-emerge. Apart from this there is a steadily growing manifestation of racism and xenophobia against foreign immigrants and refugees. There are also countermovements, which are a source of hope that the struggle against racism and racial discrimination is a commitment as well as a common standard of achievement by all peoples and all nations. Action at the national level has to be supplemented by action at the international level. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is a strategic tool in this area. In the light of new challenges it is therefore of great importance that all States and all sectors of society, cooperate to implement this Convention and that the supervisory mechanism established under the Convention is able to carry out its critical role.