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OAS assembly adopts convention against racism and all forms of intolerance

Thursday, June 6th 2013 - 06:38 UTC
Full article 22 comments
“A signing ceremony for the two conventions will be held on Thursday”, said Guatemala Foreign Secretary Carrera Castro . “A signing ceremony for the two conventions will be held on Thursday”, said Guatemala Foreign Secretary Carrera Castro .

The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), meeting in Guatemala adopted the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Forms of Intolerance and the Inter-American Convention against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance and opened them for signature.

This decision by the General Assembly marks the end of the process whereby those two documents were negotiated and drafted, with which they are now open for the member states to sign and subsequently ratify. A signing ceremony for the two conventions will be held on Thursday.

Fernando Carrera Castro, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala and President of the General Assembly, said that with the adoption of the draft resolutions, “we have proceeded to adopt two important legal instruments.”

“The Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Forms of Intolerance recognizes the enjoyment, exercise, and protection, under conditions of equality, of all the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons. In turn, the Inter-American Convention against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance takes into account the victims of discrimination and intolerance in the Americas,” said Guatemala’s Foreign Minister.

Arturo Vallarino, Chair of the OAS’s Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Panama to the Organization, said: “Today sees the conclusion of the task that was begun by the OAS member states in the year 2000, when the General Assembly instructed the Permanent Council to study the need to prepare a draft American convention to prevent, punish, and eradicate racism and all forms of discrimination and intolerance.”

 

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  • GeoffWard2

    This is a bit like signing the Convention on We Believe That God Is Great.
    Or signing the Convention on The American Way Of Life And Apple Pie.

    Seriously though, can't you see the crying need to conflate these two conventions?

    Jun 06th, 2013 - 08:45 am 0
  • Biguggy

    It will be rather hypocritical should Argentina 'sign on', with their ongoing track record.

    Jun 06th, 2013 - 10:08 am 0
  • Conqueror

    @2 I agree. “Think” is, of course, a prime candidate for legal sanctions, but there are others. I think we can safely take it that any slurs against the people of the Falkland Islands will amount to racism. Can't have any discrimination or intolerance toward them. We probably need to make the case for MercoPress to disclose the location of all those that comment. Just so we can send a report to the right quarter.

    Jun 06th, 2013 - 10:47 am 0
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