Presbyterians will have a presence
at UN World Conference Against Racism
From the Presbyterian U.N. Office - New York, August 20 2001
The United Nations World Conference Against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will take
place in Durban, South Africa from August 31st to September 7th.
As part of the denomination's ongoing commitment to developing an
antiracism identity, the PC (USA) will be represented at the
governmental meeting of the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR), as
well as at a forum for NGOs (non-governmental organizations).
This is the third WCAR to date, and the first
post-apartheid WCAR. The United Nations General Assembly in 1997
recognized the ongoing reality of racism as well as the growth of and
emergence of new forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and
related intolerance worldwide and called on member governments to
address these issues at a world conference. The WCAR in Durban is the
culmination of several years of work, including many government meetings
and meetings of NGOs. The outcome document (Declaration and Programme of
Action) has been under negotiation by governments and will be finalized
in Durban. It will serve as a point of consensus among governments on
the issues at hand and will lay out strategies to help eliminate racism
and other forms of intolerance.
The NGO (non-governmental organizations) Forum, or the
civil society portion of the WCAR, will take place August 28th
through September 1st. In addition, the Youth Summit, where
young people meet to discuss racism and its manifestations with respect
to youth, will be held August 26th and 27th.
Nineteen people are registered to attend the NGO Forum through the
Presbyterian Church (USA). One person with the PC (USA) is registered to
attend the Youth Summit. June Lorenzo, a member of the PC (USA)
delegation to the governmental meeting, states: "For people who
have not been involved in the UN process this can all be overwhelming,
but my hope is that people will come back having stretched their own
thinking about racism and racial discrimination, and that as the
representatives of PC (USA) we will take seriously the need to interpret
and implement what we take from the NGO forum and the WCAR."
Members of the team participating in the WCAR on
behalf of the PC (USA) are Helen Locklear, Associate Director of the
Racial Ethnic Ministries Program Area; Elenora Giddings Ivory, Director
of the Presbyterian Washington Office; Jon Chapman, Partnership in
Mission Coordinator for South and East Africa; Jennifer Butler,
Associate for Global Issues in the Presbyterian United Nations Office;
Jenny Kim, Presbyterian Peacemaking Advisory Committee; June Lorenzo,
Special Task Force on Native American Ministries; Curtis Jones, Advocacy
Committee on Racial Ethnic Concerns; and Mark Koenig, Associate for
Antiracism Program. The World Council of Churches delegation will
include one PC (USA) member, Laura Mariko Cheifetz, currently the Gender
Justice Program Coordinator at the Presbyterian United Nations Office.
The 213th General Assembly affirmed and
approved this work by the UN and the PC (USA) in a resolution on the
International Year of Mobilization Against Racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and the World
Conference on Global Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and
Related Intolerance brought by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness
Policy. It urges each presbytery to organize at least one study event on
racism and racial intolerance, reiterating calls made in the 1999 policy
paper "Facing Racism: A Vision of the Beloved Community, and calls
upon the United States government to give full support to the WCAR and
ongoing efforts by the UN to address racism. The United States has
threatened to boycott this conference if the documents include language
equating Zionism with racism, and any language referring to
international reparations for slavery and colonialism.
The Presbyterian United Nations Office has compiled an
Information and Advocacy Packet on the World Conference Against Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. It is
available on the web at www.ew2000plus.org/racism_packet.htm
To
order the paper version, call (212) 697-4568. A follow-up consultation
will be held by the Presbyterian UN Office November 14-16 in New York.
For more information, contact the UN Office or go to http://horeb.pcusa.org/peacemaking/racism.htm
