The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) will be held in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 7 September 2001 at the International Conference Center (ICC). Prior to the WCAR, an NGO Forum (28 August to 1 September 2001) has been scheduled at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium and a Youth Summit (26 to 27 August 2001) at the Holiday Inn Durban Elangeni.

The Youth Summit will start on 26 August with an opening ceremony, and enter into full gear on 27 August. It is organised by the South African Youth Task Team and the International Youth Committee. On 26 and 27 August 2001 the Youth Summit will welcome NGO youth representatives and youth delegates on government delegations. At the Youth Summit some 350 young people, representing all geographical regions, will gather to discuss issues of particular concern to them in relation to the struggle against racism.

The WCAR in general and the Youth Summit in particular present a great challenge for everyone involved in the fight against racism. If successful, it can change forever the world we live in and set the stage for a new millennium in which diversity and respect provide the greatest potential for improving the human condition.

The objectives of the Youth Summit are three-fold: to create a global network of youth organizations and leaders committed to combating racism, to influence the political decision-making process and to serve as a catalyst for a series of action-oriented initiatives at the international, regional and the national level that fully involve youth in anti-racism activities.

The idea for a Youth Summit, parallel to the WCAR, was born at the first WCAR Preparatory Committee Meeting in May 2000, when activist youth from different continents got together to think about ways and means to impact on the WCAR. The High Commissioner gave her full support to the idea of a Youth Summit and has actively encouraged States to include youth in their government delegations. Then there were the Expert Seminars, the Regional Inter-governmental Conferences and the NGO networking meetings, all opportunities for the young people present to start fleshing out the issues they feel to be important to secure a brighter future for the coming generations.

The Youth Summit will register attendees all day of the 26^th August, starting from 08:00 in the morning. There will be a welcoming committee to provide practical information, hand out conference packs and give briefings on framework and objectives of the Youth Summit. In the evening there will be an official opening starting at 7PM.

During the main Youth Summit day, the 27^th, there will be a programme including panel discussions, thematic commissions and finalising of a Global Youth Declaration and Plan of Action. The programme will focus on a wide range of themes; Education, health, environment, legal justice, poverty, media, gender, minority rights, slavery and reparations – all in relation to racism and racial discrimination.

The programme seeks to unify the voices of the many young people around the world who are victims of racism and encourage the various youth representatives to implement their concerns in the thematic discussions.

At the end of the 27^th there will be a dinner and a closing ceremony. However, the Youth will continue to meet and have activities running throughout the NGO Forum and the Inter-governmental Conference, up to 7^th September.

The organisers who are involved in the Youth Summit are:

The Youth Task Team in South Africa has set up a number of commissions to deal with issues like logistics, registration for the Youth Summit, cultural events and interpretation. While in Geneva for the Third Preparatory Committee Meeting, the members of the Youth Task Team and the International Youth Committee have prepared a programme and agenda for the Youth Summit and elaborated on an International Youth Declaration that needs to integrate all the different regional perspectives. However, it is the drafting of a concrete Youth Plan of Action, with mechanisms and benchmarks to monitor implementation, that proves most challenging. The Youth Declaration and Plan of Action will be presented at the World Conference and the NGO Forum. Before and during the World Conference, the youth have to convince government delegations to adopt, in the official Declaration and Program of Action, language that takes into account their views.

WCAR Youth Secretariat in South Africa is in charge of registration for the Youth Summit. Individuals under the age of 30 may register for participation in the Youth Summit. The registration fee of 100 US$ per person for the NGO Forum covers participation in the Youth Summit. Information concerning this registration is available at www.racism.org.za Moreover, youth interested in participating in the Youth Summit need to fill out the specific registration form for the Youth Summit (before 10 August 2001), which can be found below.

The NGO Liaison Unit of the WCAR Secretariat at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, plays a facilitating role for NGO and youth participation in the run-up to, during and after the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

There is a special procedure for participation in the World Conference, which is called accreditation. Accreditation can only be given to an organisation, not an individual. Organisations with ECOSOC consultative status or indigenous peoples status are automatically accredited and do not need to seek accreditation for the WCAR. All other organisations, however, were required to seek accreditation by July 2, 2001. Only once accredited will they be allowed to enter the Conference site. The Secretariat is no longer accepting applications.

As mentioned above, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Secretary General for the WCAR, Mrs. Robinson, has requested governments to consider including in their delegation a youth leader under the age of 25 with experience in the field of human rights, in particular the struggle against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Youth who are designated as members of official government delegations are accredited to attend the WCAR through their governments and thus do not need to go through the accreditation procedure. They do, however, need to register for the Youth Summit.

If you belong to an accredited organisation:

Once an NGO is accredited to attend the WCAR, it should follow the regular procedure to obtain credentials for its representatives, ie. prepare a fax, on the letterhead of the organisation, signed by the person authorised, stating the name(s) of the representatives, indicating who needs a visa, and send it to Sarah-Jane Brodier, fax (41-22) 917 90 56 or (41-22) 917 90 50. Furthermore, every person who will attend the World Conference must fill out the registration form for participants that is available on the UNHCHR website, attach two photographs and send it by mail to Sarah-Jane Brodier, OHCHR, Palais Wilson, Room 4-020, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.

If you want to participate in the Youth Summit and/or the NGO Forum, you still need to send in a registration form and pay the registration fee, which is R750 or $100 per person. You can find the registration form on www.racism.org.za

If you do not belong to an accredited organisation:

If you do not belong to an accredited organisation you can still participate in the Youth Summit and the NGO Forum. You need to send in a registration form and pay the registration fee, which is R750 or $100 per person. You can find the registration form on www.racism.org.za

You may contact the WCAR Youth Secretariat in South Africa at the following addresses:

Amani Olubanjo Buntu
Yaa Ashantewaa
Office phone number: 011-403-7270