The final declaration of the UN world conference against racism is accompanied by a programme of action including the following points:
The Middle East
We are concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupation. We recognise the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of an independent state and we recognise the right to security for all states in the region, including Israel, and call upon all states to support the peace process and bring it to an early conclusion.
We recognise the right of refugees to return voluntarily to their homes and properties in dignity and safety, and urge all states to facilitate such return.
Slavery and colonialism
We acknowledge that slavery and the slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade, were appalling tragedies in the history of humanity . . . and further acknowledge that slavery and the slave trade are a crime against humanity and should always have been so . . .
The world conference recognises that colonialism has led to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and that Africans and people of African descent and indigenous peoples were victims of colonialism and continue to be victims of its consequences . . .
The continued and violent occurrence of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and . . . theories of superiority of certain races and cultures over others, promoted and practised during the colonial era, continue to be propounded in one form or another even today.
The world conference recognises that apartheid and genocide in terms of international law constitute crimes against humanity . . .
The world conference acknowledges and profoundly regrets the massive human sufferings and the tragic plight of millions of men, women and children caused by slavery, slave trade, apartheid, colonialism and genocide and calls upon states concerned to honour the memory of the victims of past tragedies . . .
The world conference acknowledges and profoundly regrets the untold suffering and evils inflicted on millions of men, women and children as a result of slavery, slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, apartheid, genocide and past tragedies.
The world conference further notes that some states have taken the initiative to apologise and have paid reparation where appropriate, for grave and massive violations committed . . . and calls on all those who have not yet contributed to restoring the dignity of the victims to find appropriate ways to do so.
The world conference recognises the efforts of developing countries, in particular, the commitment and the determination of the African leaders to seriously address the challenge of poverty, underdevelopment, marginalisation, social exclusion, economic disparities, instability and insecurity, through initiatives such as the New African Initiative and other innovative mechanisms such as the World Solidarity Fund for the Eradication of Poverty, and calls upon developed countries, the United Nations and its specialised agencies as well as international financial institutions to provide, through their operational programmes, new and additional financial resources as appropriate to support these initiatives.
The world conference recognises that these historical injustices have undeniably contributed to poverty, underdevelopment, marginalisation, social exclusion, economic disparities, instability and insecurity that affect many people in many parts of the world, in particular in developing countries.
The world conference recognises the need to develop programmes for the social and economic development of these societies and the diaspora within the framework of a new partnership based on solidarity and mutual respect for the following areas: debt relief, poverty eradication, building or strengthening democratic institutions, promotion of foreign direct investment, market access . . .
We express our concern that, beyond the fact that racism is gaining ground, contemporary forms and manifestations of racism and xenophobia are striving to regain political, moral and even legal recognition in many ways, including through the platforms of some political parties and organisations and the dissemination through modern communication technologies of ideas based on the notion of racial superiority.
We . . . express our determination to prevent and mitigate the negative effects of globalisation; fully recognise the rights of indigenous peoples consistent with the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states . . .
We strongly condemn the fact that slavery and slavery-like practices still exist . . .
We note with concern and strongly condemn the manifestations and acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance against migrants . . .
We recognise with deep concern the ongoing manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including violence, against Roma/Gypsies/Sinto/Travellers and recognise the need to develop effective policies and implementation mechanisms for their full achievement of equality.
We are convinced that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance reveal themselves in a differentiated manner for women and girls . . .
States have the duty to protect and promote the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all victims, and . . . they should apply a gender perspective, recognising the multiple forms of discrimination which women can face . . .
We . . . recognise with deep concern the existence in various parts of the world of religious intolerance . . .
We condemn the persistence and resurgence of neo-Nazism, neo-Fascism and violent nationalist ideologies based on racial or national prejudice, and state that these phenomena can never be justified in any instance or in any circumstances.