Address by the South African Foreign
Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to the Asian Regional Preparatory Conference for the
World Conference Against Racism and Related Intolerance, Tehran, Iran, 19 February 2001Honourable Chairperson
Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
The High Commissioner of Human Rights, Ms Mary Robinson,
Honourable Leaders of Delegations,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen
I have the honour and privilege to bring greetings from the
President, Government and Peoples of South Africa, to all the participants of this
Regional Conference. I also express our appreciation and gratitude to the government and
peoples of the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting this important Regional Conference.
We are particularly grateful to the government of the
Islamic Republic of Iran for inviting us to participate as observers in this conference
because it gives us an opportunity to gain insight into the important issues, which the
Durban Conference will have to address. I also wish to record our appreciation to the
government of Chile and the Regional Conference of the Americas for having extended a
similar invitation to our government.
May I from the onset congratulate the government of Iran on
assumption of the Chairpersonship of the G77 in New York? The G77 and China represent the
main negotiating forum on all the development issues relating to the countries of the
South. The excellent co-operation between the G77 and the NAM as well as the historic
South Summit in Havana last year produced a coherent developmental agenda, which is also
reflected substantially in the United Nations Millennium Declaration.
Last month we held an African Regional Conference in Dakar,
Senegal, which focused on the special experience of the people of the continent and
addressed colonialism, apartheid as well as the devastating and traumatic experience of
slavery. These collective experiences will define how we look at the future.
Chairperson
This Conference being the last of the preparatory
conference also has a special significance in that, together with Santiago and Dakar,
Tehran completes the collective experience of the peoples of the South who suffered the
effects of colonialism.
As we meet here in Asia we also recollect on the rich
history and centuries of great civilisations of the South whose contributions enriched
humanity through successive generations. However, the concept of white supremacy did not
respect and acknowledge these civilisations but also tried to inculcate in our people the
denial of our inherent worth and dignity.
Chairperson
The peoples of the Asian region suffered gruesome
experiences of being transported across the seas to Africa and as far afield as the
Caribbean both as slaves and indentured labourers.
Our present day reality reflects the cumulative impact of
slavery and colonialism on our continents, which have perpetuated conditions of
inequality, poverty, underdevelopment and exploitation.
There are many who would wish us to believe that racism is
dead but recent events especially in the North testify to the resurgence of particularly
aggressive and at times violent forms of racism. It is regrettable that many political
parties and institutions provide platforms for racial incitement.
The developed countries usually arrogate to themselves the
responsibility of promoting human rights, democracy and equality and yet during the period
of colonial rule they failed to observe these basic principles.
We pay tribute to the peoples of Palestine who are still
struggling for the restoration of their dignity, and self-determination as well as their
efforts to attain their own homeland.
Chairperson
Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance are global phenomena and there is no country, which can claim not to have been
affected by it. The tragedy of racism is in the denial, by some, of the existence of the
problem. At the same time there are those who recognise the problem but insist that it
should not be discussed and will somehow disappear with the passage of time. This will not
disappear with the passage of time unless we face the problem of racism squarely. However
the decision by the United Nations to convene the World Conference against Racism has
enabled all the regions to engage the issue.
The World Conference in Durban provides us with a unique
opportunity to chart a new course and finally rid the world of racism. It will require
political courage and commitment as well as new and sustainable partnerships to address
past and present injustices and to develop a new equitable and just world.
In paying tribute to the martyrs who have sacrificed their
lives in the struggle against racism and for democracy, we have to remind ourselves that
throughout our struggle we have sought to create non-racial societies and have always
forgiven rather than sought revenge.
Despite the fact that many of our racial problems are
rooted in legacies of colonialism, we have to assume responsibility at national and
regional levels. It is our duty to respect human dignity, which also involves the
promotion and protection of human rights including gender equality. Woman is vulnerable to
multiple discrimination including gender discrimination. Governments, business and
religious leaders, and civil societies must form a strong partnership if they are to
succeed in fighting against racism, racial discrimination and Xenophobia.
We in South Africa inherited a special type of legacy
arising out of the Apartheid system. In his State of the Nation Address on 9 February
2001, President Thabo Mbeki stated, "We had to make the determination that this was a
legacy that we did not desire and were therefore committed to eradicate". He added,
"The past of which I speak is well known to all of us.
It is a past of a racially divided country, of masters and
servants, of racially inspired conflict and mistrust.
It is a past of endemic and widespread poverty and gross
imbalances in levels of development and the distribution of wealth, income and
opportunity. It is a past of an economy that was immersed in a crisis that was destined to
worsen.
It is a past of the denial of freedom to the majority,
gross violation of human rights and repression, of entrenched sexism, a past of high
levels of crime, violence and corruption.
It is a past of a South Africa isolated from the rest of
Africa and the world, a pariah among the nations.
It is away from this painful past that our country is
progressing and must progress".
This reflects the scale of some of the challenges that we
face in transforming our society.
Chairperson,
South Africa is a microcosm of the world and the problems
that we face similar to those confronting humanity as a whole. We are therefore
particularly honoured to host the forthcoming World Conference against racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. This first Conference of the new
Millennium offers an opportunity to eliminate the scourge of racism, racial discrimination
and related intolerance from the face of the earth. It also ushers in real hope for the
future.
I wish this Asian Conference every success, and I am sure
that it will focus on the seven objectives outlined in the General Assembly Resolution
52/111 of December 1997. The Conference should also adopt a forward-looking programme of
action, with concrete measurable objectives, which are implementable at the national
level. In this context, the World Conference will be expected to strife for effective
corrective measures, which will give hope to the millions of victims of racism, and for
humanity as a whole.
I thank you
Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
19 February 2001 |
