Some 30 participants representing government institutions, National Human Rights Institutions and civil society organizations from countries of the Central African sub region on Tuesday September 29th in Yaounde Cameroon, began examining ways and means of fighting racial discrimination and related practices such as xenophobia and intolerance.

30.09.2009 - Some 30 participants representing government institutions, National Human Rights Institutions and civil society organizations from countries of the Central African sub region on Tuesday September 29th in Yaounde Cameroon, began examining ways and means of fighting racial discrimination and related practices such as xenophobia and intolerance.

The three day seminar focusing on the elaboration of national action plans and best practices for the fight against racism, racial discrimination and related practices (xenophobia and intolerance) is organized by the Office of the United Nations high Commissioner for Human rights (OHCHR) with the financial support of the International organization of the Francophonie (OIF).

Officially opening the seminar, the Minister Delegate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Adoum Gargoum, recognized that much hasn’t been done across the world to stop racial discrimination despite international engagements taken by countries over the past 9 years. He observed that the United Nations Office of the High commissioner for Human Rights needs significant effort to cause member sates to take appropriate engagements to implement the resolutions of the Durban conference which held in South Africa in 2001, and whose follow-up early this year came out with worthy recommendations.

One of the high points of Tuesday’s opening ceremony was undoubtedly the minute of silence observed for victims of violence in Guinea Conakry where Monday’s protests against military leader Moussa Dadis Camara’s candidature for next year’s presidential elections turned bloody. On the request of Birgit Van Hout, representing the anti discrimination unit of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the moment of silence ushered in a brief moment for her to state OHCHR’s commitment to anti-discrimination processes around the world. She emphasized the need for the fight against racial discrimination to be intensified at national levels through the elaboration and implementation of concrete action plans.

According to the Regional Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Chris Mburu, discrimination of all sorts is an unacceptable practice and states should shun it with all their might. His strongly worded word of welcome at the opening ceremony situated the context of the seminar and highlighted some key areas where discrimination remains a day to day practice. The United Nations centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, he said, “is grateful to the Cameroon government for accepting and taking administrative and security dispositions to ease the holding of this seminar in Yaoundé”. Mr. Mburu’s stringent call for action against racism was the second in 2 months after a similar one at the official opening of the second session of the academy for constitutional law and Justice in Africa in July.

The seminar that wraps up on Thursday October 1, has brought together participants from Angola, Burundi, Gabon, Cameroon, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe.

 

TFK