RES/3/2 Preparations for the Durban Review Conference

Human Rights Council

Resolution 3/2. Preparations for the Durban Review Conference

The Human Rights Council,

Underlining General Assembly resolution 52/111 of 12 December 1997 in which the Assembly decided to convene the Third World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, which was held at Durban from 31 August to 8 September 2001,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 57/195 of 18 December 2002, in which the Assembly outlined the important roles and responsibilities of the various organs of the United Nations and other stakeholders at the international, regional and national levels, including, in particular, the erstwhile Commission on Human Rights whose mandate and responsibilities now devolve in the Human Rights Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 58/160 of 22 December 2003 in which the Assembly decided to close the Third United Nations Decade to combat racism and racial discrimination, and placed emphasis on the concrete implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as a solid foundation for a broad-based consensus for further actions and initiatives towards the total elimination of the scourge of racism,

Underlining that 2006 marks 60 years of the United Nations action against racism, including three United Nations decades against racism whose programmes of action have largely not been achieved, as well as five years since the Durban Conference of 2001,

Saluting the laudable efforts of the Caribbean Community to keep the Durban spirit alive and foremost in the conscience of the international community and, in this regard, welcoming the historic unanimous decision of the General Assembly on 28 November 2006 by which the Assembly declared 26 March 2007 as a day for the worldwide commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade,

Recalling the resolution of the Third Committee of the General Assembly (A/C.3/61/L.53/Rev.1), as orally amended, adopted on 22 November 2006 by which the Third Committee recommended that the Assembly convene the Durban Review Conference in 2009,

Recalling also that by the same resolution the Human Rights Council is requested to undertake preparations for this event and to formulate by 2007 a concrete plan for the 2009 Durban Review Conference,

Recalling further that by the same resolution the Council is requested to regularly provide the General Assembly with updates and progress reports towards this event starting in 2007,

1. Decides that the Human Rights Council will act as the Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference which shall be open to the participation of all Member States of the United Nations and members of the specialized agencies and also to the participation of observers in accordance with the established practice of the General Assembly;

2. Decides also that the Preparatory Committee shall hold an organizational session of one week in May 2007, at the level of personal representatives of the Heads of State or Government or other appropriate high-level representatives designated for this purpose by Governments and two substantive sessions of 10 working days each during 2007 and 2008 in Geneva;

3. Decides further that the Preparatory Committee, at its organizational sessions, shall elect, on the basis of equitable geographical representation, a bureau for the Preparatory Committee and that, at the same session, the Preparatory Committee shall decide on all the relevant modalities for the Conference in accordance with established practice of the General Assembly, including deciding on the objectives of the Review Conference, the level at which the Review Conference shall be convened, regional preparatory initiatives, date and venue;

4. Requests Governments, the specialized agencies of the United Nations system and relevant United Nations bodies, regional organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, the Five Independent Eminent Experts to follow up on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the Five Experts on Complementary Standards, the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent and other relevant human rights mechanisms to assist the Preparatory Committee by undertaking review and submitting recommendations, through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as contributions to the outcome of the Review Conference;

5. Reaffirms that the Durban Review Conference will be undertaken on the basis of and with full respect for the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and that there will be no renegotiation of the existing agreements contained therein;

6. Decides that the review will concentrate on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, including further actions, initiatives and practical solutions for combating all the contemporary scourges of racism;

7. Decides also to retain this priority issue on its programme of work and to report on progress regularly to the General Assembly.

13th meeting
8 December 2006

[Adopted by a recorded vote of 34 to 12, with 1 abstention.

In favour: Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay, Zambia.

Against: Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Abstaining: Ukraine.]