A vast, afflicted landscape. (Notes from the Chair).

Despite the two world conferences held so far to combat racism, we witness racism and discrimination continuing their ravages the world over, sometimes reaching levels prejudicial to the maintenance of international peace and security. While we had the opportunity to welcome the end of apartheid during this period, we saw at the same time rising intolerance, xenophobia, racism, racial discrimination and ethnic conflict, which are still causes of grave concern inasmuch as they threaten social cohesion, endanger public order within States, affect friendly and peaceful relations among peoples, and, above all, constitute flagrant denial of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. The inherent equality of human beings is too often denied and questioned, whereas new and subtler forms of racial discrimination have made their appearance. The human landscape currently afflicted by racism and xenophobia is indeed vast.

The Third World Conference against Racism provides the opportunity for the adoption of new and appropriate results-oriented measures, which will effectively combat the causes of racism and help eliminate its various manifestations. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), over which I have the honour to preside, has developed a series of proposals under each of the five themes of the Conference.

* We consider that racial discrimination ought to be a matter of concern before it develops into civil unrest or armed conflict. Furthermore, the gap between rich and poor, which, forces people to move in search of better living conditions, in turn leads States to draw up restrictive immigration policies, tighten controls and broaden exclusionary strategies. In our view, people in need should be primarily assisted mostly in their country of origin if this gap is to be tackled at its root.

* We consider it useful for States and the United Nations to establish adequate mechanisms that would allow victims of racial discrimination to articulate their experiences in order to learn from each other and have access to appropriate remedies. In this respect, a dialogue with representatives of civil society would facilitate a better understanding of the causes of racism and the strategies to be followed.

The criteria for early warning measures, designed to prevent existing problems from escalating into conflicts, should be defined. CERD will, of course, be ready to help in this regard.

It is essential to involve the private sector in prevention strategies, and the community and religious groups in conflict resolution. Governments should be encouraged to articulate a vision of an inclusive national strategy, which would include all parts of the population, inasmuch as such a vision, based on equality, would serve as a means of combating racism and injustice. It is also important to establish urgent action procedures intended for problems requiring immediate attention to prevent or limit the scale of serious acts of racial discrimination. In our view, the criteria for initiating an urgent procedure should be the presence of a serious, massive or persistent pattern of racial discrimination carrying the risk of further escalation.

* Remedies are central to the protection of the human rights of individuals and groups who are subject to racial discrimination; therefore, action programmes should be adopted as a long-term mechanism for resolving inequalities resulting from such practices.

* Among the strategies to achieve full and effective equality, the role of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination as a central instrument in the elimination of racial discrimination should be strengthened, through its universal ratification and strict implementation of the whole scope of its provisions. The reservations incompatible with the objective and purpose of the Convention should be kept under constant review, leading to their eventual withdrawal. Furthermore, States parties should be invited to consider making the declaration under article 14 of the Convention, recognizing the competence of CERD to receive and consider communications from individuals claiming to be victims of violations rights set forth in the Convention.

These are some of the measures which would provide protection for indigenous people living in the margins of society; black people, who in many countries are treated as second-class citizens the Roma people, who have suffered too long from hardship and persecution migrant alities and races, migrant workers of many nation, who cross frontiers in search of a better life; and the refugees and displaced persons, who were forced to flee their homes and lands as a result of international and internal conflicts. To these vulnerable groups, the disadvantaged and those discriminated against, the World Conference should come recommendations, conducive first to urgently alleviate the present disturbing situation and thereafter providing its solution.

Michael E. Sherifis is Chairman of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.