International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is a United Nations General Assembly resolution that aims to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, as envisioned by Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Malcolm X. The convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 21, 1965, with the support of United Nations Secretary-General U Thant, United States Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and Soviet Union leader Leonid Brezhnev. It entered into force on January 4, 1969, after being ratified by 27 countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, and France, with the guidance of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The convention has been ratified by 182 countries, including China, India, and Brazil, and is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which works closely with UNICEF, UNDP, and WHO.

● Introduction

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is a significant international human rights instrument that aims to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, as advocated by Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass. The convention defines racial discrimination as any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin, as experienced by Indigenous peoples, Roma people, and Afro-Caribbean communities. It emphasizes the importance of equality and non-discrimination, as promoted by United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, and International Labour Organization. The convention also recognizes the need to combat racism and xenophobia, as highlighted by European Union, African Union, and Organization of American States. It has been influenced by the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston, and has been supported by NAACP, ACLU, and Southern Poverty Law Center.

● History

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was drafted by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, with the participation of United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom, and the guidance of René Cassin, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Charles Malik. The commission was established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 1946, with the support of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. The convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 21, 1965, with the votes of United States, Soviet Union, and China, and the abstentions of South Africa and Portugal. It entered into force on January 4, 1969, after being ratified by 27 countries, including Canada, Australia, and Germany, and has since been ratified by 182 countries, including Japan, India, and Brazil, with the encouragement of International Committee of the Red Cross, UNHCR, and ILO.

● Provisions

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination contains 25 articles that outline the obligations of states parties to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, as emphasized by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights, and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Article 1 defines racial discrimination, while Article 2 requires states parties to condemn racial discrimination and undertake to pursue a policy of elimination of racial discrimination, as promoted by UNESCO, WHO, and FAO. Article 3 prohibits the dissemination of ideologies of racial superiority, while Article 4 prohibits the dissemination of ideologies of racial inferiority, as condemned by European Parliament, United States Congress, and Canadian Parliament. Article 5 requires states parties to guarantee the right to equality before the law, as ensured by Supreme Court of the United States, European Court of Justice, and International Court of Justice.

● Implementation

The implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is composed of 18 independent experts, including Angela Davis, Cornel West, and Tariq Ramadan. The committee receives reports from states parties on their implementation of the convention, as required by United Nations Treaty Collection, and examines these reports in the light of information from non-governmental organizations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Anti-Defamation League. The committee also considers complaints from individuals and groups, as facilitated by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and makes recommendations to states parties, as supported by International Federation for Human Rights, World Jewish Congress, and Arab League.

● State Parties

There are currently 182 states parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, including United States, China, India, and Brazil, which have all ratified the convention, as encouraged by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, European Union Ursula von der Leyen, and African Union Moussa Faki. The convention has been ratified by almost all countries, except for a few, including Bahrain, Brunei, and Papua New Guinea, which have not yet ratified the convention, despite the efforts of UNDP, UNICEF, and WHO. The states parties to the convention are committed to eliminating all forms of racial discrimination, as advocated by Malala Yousafzai, Desmond Tutu, and Jimmy Carter, and to promoting equality and non-discrimination, as promoted by International Olympic Committee, FIFA, and NBA.

● Committee on

the Elimination of Racial Discrimination The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a body of 18 independent experts that monitors the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as established by United Nations General Assembly resolution 34/46, with the support of United Nations Human Rights Council, European Commission, and African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. The committee is composed of experts from different regions, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, and has a diverse range of expertise, including law, sociology, and anthropology, as represented by Harvard University, University of Oxford, and Sorbonne University. The committee receives reports from states parties and examines these reports in the light of information from non-governmental organizations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and International Committee of the Red Cross, and makes recommendations to states parties, as supported by UNICEF, UNDP, and WHO. The committee also considers complaints from individuals and groups, as facilitated by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and makes decisions on these complaints, as guided by International Court of Justice, European Court of Human Rights, and Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Category:Human rights