Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Encyclopedia
The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is a human rights
proclamation issued by the United Nations General Assembly
, outlining that body's views on racism
. It was adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1963. The Declaration was an important precursor to the legally binding Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
.
Article 1 declares that discrimination
on the basis of race, colour or ethnicity is "an offence to human dignity" and condemnds it as a violation of the principles underlying the United Nations Charter
, a violation of human rights
and a threat to peace and security.
Article 2 calls on states, institutions, groups and individuals not to discriminate on the basis of race in human rights. It calls on states to end support for discrimination, and to take affirmative action
where necessary to correct it.
Article 3 calls for particular efforts to end racial discrimination in civil rights, housing, employment, education, and calls for everyone to have free access to public places and services regardless of race.
Article 4 calls on states to review policies and repeal laws which discriminate on the basis of race.
Article 5 calls for an end to racial segregation
and apartheid
.
Article 6 calls for an end to racial discrimination in political rights, in particular the right to vote and stand for public office.
Article 7 declares that everyone has the right to equality before the law and to equal justice before the law regardless of race. It calls for everyone to have an effective remedy, enforceable through the courts, for harm suffered through racial discrimination.
Article 8 calls for education to promote tolerance
and racial understanding.
Article 9 condemns propaganda and organisations based on the idea of racial supremacism
. It calls for incitements to racial violence, or hate speech
to be criminalised, and for racist organisations to be outlawed.
Article 10 calls on the United Nations
to study the causes of racial discrimination so as to better combat it.
Article 11 calls on every state to promote respect of fundamental human rights and the principles of this declaration and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR).
As a declaration rather than a treaty
, the document is non-binding.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
proclamation issued by the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, outlining that body's views on racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. It was adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1963. The Declaration was an important precursor to the legally binding Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is a United Nations convention. A second-generation human rights instrument, the Convention commits its members to the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of understanding among all races...
.
Summary
The Declaration follows the structure of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with a preamble followed by eleven articles.Article 1 declares that discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
on the basis of race, colour or ethnicity is "an offence to human dignity" and condemnds it as a violation of the principles underlying the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
, a violation of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and a threat to peace and security.
Article 2 calls on states, institutions, groups and individuals not to discriminate on the basis of race in human rights. It calls on states to end support for discrimination, and to take affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
where necessary to correct it.
Article 3 calls for particular efforts to end racial discrimination in civil rights, housing, employment, education, and calls for everyone to have free access to public places and services regardless of race.
Article 4 calls on states to review policies and repeal laws which discriminate on the basis of race.
Article 5 calls for an end to racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
and apartheid
Crime of apartheid
The crime of apartheid is defined by the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as inhumane acts of a character similar to other crimes against humanity "committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other...
.
Article 6 calls for an end to racial discrimination in political rights, in particular the right to vote and stand for public office.
Article 7 declares that everyone has the right to equality before the law and to equal justice before the law regardless of race. It calls for everyone to have an effective remedy, enforceable through the courts, for harm suffered through racial discrimination.
Article 8 calls for education to promote tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
and racial understanding.
Article 9 condemns propaganda and organisations based on the idea of racial supremacism
Supremacism
Supremacism is the belief that a particular race, species, ethnic group, religion, gender, sexual orientation, belief system or culture is superior to others and entitles those who identify with it to dominate, control or rule those who do not.- Sexual :...
. It calls for incitements to racial violence, or hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
to be criminalised, and for racist organisations to be outlawed.
Article 10 calls on the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
to study the causes of racial discrimination so as to better combat it.
Article 11 calls on every state to promote respect of fundamental human rights and the principles of this declaration and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
(UDHR).
As a declaration rather than a treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
, the document is non-binding.