Carry on the fight against racism

THE UN General Assembly held a high-level meeting in New York on Thursday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action.
This document, which serves as the international community's blueprint for action to fight racism, was adopted by consensus at the 2001 UN World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa.
However, it is regrettable that several Western countries are boycotting it and even urging other countries to follow suit. But on second thoughts, it is no surprise, especially if we recall the situation in 2009 at the second World Conference Against Racism, also known as the Durban Review Conference, when nearly 10 countries refused to participate, and a walkout by about 40 delegates occurred, most of them from Western countries.
It is important to note that the 10th anniversary is not meant to single out any country for criticism or to pour salt in anyone's wounds. Rather, it provides a platform for all nations to confirm their commitment to the values and principles of equality and non-discrimination and the measures by the international community to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
The boycott of the Durban Review Conference and this year's anniversary is a testimony to Western countries' hypocrisy and lack of respect for fundamental human rights, including equality and the right to freedom of expression, supposedly strongly defended in the West. It clearly shows the West's double standards over the issue of combating racism. The withdrawal from the conference by several Western countries exposes some countries' fears of being held accountable for the implementation of the Durban Declaration.
First, some countries turned their backs with the excuse that the Durban Conference and its follow-ups had been “hijacked” by those seeking to bash Israel. On the contrary, the noble mission to fight racism and discrimination was hijacked by those who were not willing to address human rights violations they have committed in history.
Second, some consider the history of the World Conference Against Racism “a Durban disaster” as if they are the victims, while in fact it was slave trade, colonisation, racial segregation and expropriation of indigenous people's lands and resources that brought hideous disasters to generations of Africans, Asians and Latin Americans.
Third, as some countries explained that “many states would prefer to forget” the Durban Declaration, the decision to boycott the anniversary event stems from their attempt to downplay and legitimise racial wrongdoings by circumventing international criticism and open discussion.
What some countries are doing is nothing short of self-deception. As a Chinese saying goes, with history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of a nation. What we are doing by commemorating the anniversary is not settling old scores or giving a hard time to anyone, but learning from the past, putting things in perspective and being forward-looking in dealing with racism. - China Daily/Asia News Network