25th plenary meeting

5 May 1982

Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 3057 (XXVIII) of 2 November 1973, 33/99 and 33/100 of 16 December 1978, 34/24 of 15 November 1979, 35/33 of 14 November 1980 and 36/8 of 28 October 1981 and Economic and Social Council resolution 1990 (LX) of 11 May 1976,

Recalling also its decision 206 (ORG-77) of 14 January 1977, resolution 2046 (S-III) of 23 February 1977 and decision 1981/130 of 6 May 1981,

Having considered the report of the Preparatory Sub-Committee for the Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination on its first session,

Noting with appreciation the offer of the Government of the Philippines to act as host to the Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,

Recognizing that the Philippines is one of the countries affected by the current world economic crisis and that, despite this, the Government of the Philippines is willing to make a substantial financial contribution towards the Conference,

1. Approves the draft provisional agenda and the draft provisional rules of procedure of the Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination;

2. Recommends to the General Assembly that invitations to participate in the Conference should be extended to:

(a) All States;

(b) The United Nations Council for Namibia, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 31/149 of 20 December 1976;

3. Recommends to the General Assembly that the following should be invited to participate as observers:

(a) Representatives of national liberation movements recognized in its region by the Organization of African Unity, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 3280 (XXIX) of 10 December 1974;

(b) Representatives of organizations that have received a standing invitation from the General Assembly to participate in the sessions and the work of all international conferences convened under its auspices in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 3237 (XXIX) of 22 November 1974 and 31/152 of 20 December 1976;

(c) The specialized agencies concerned as well as interested organs and bodies of the United Nations;

(d) Interested intergovernmental organizations;

(e) The Special Committee against Apartheid;

(f) The Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

(g) The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination;

(h) The Commission on Human Rights;

(i) The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories;

(j) Other interested committees of the United Nations;

(k) Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council which have contributed to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and to the implementation of the Programme of Action adopted by the first World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, taking into account also their record in the field of struggle against racism and racial discrimination;

4. Decides that the languages of the Conference shall be Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish;

5. Decides that the documentation for the Conference shall include pre-session and in-session documents as indicated in paragraphs 63 to 78 of the report of the Preparatory Sub-Committee;

6. Decides to authorize the Preparatory Sub-Committee to hold a second session of one week in March 1983, and to submit its report to the Economic and Social Council at its first regular session of 1983;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to take appropriate steps as soon as possible to start the timely preparation of all the necessary documentation and to ensure that the documentation is available at least six weeks before the commencement of the Conference;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Preparatory Sub-Committee for the Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination a draft programme of action containing proposals for activities to be undertaken after the Conference as a follow-up to the programme of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the Decade and the Programme of Action adopted by the first World Conference, taking into account the above-mentioned documents and the relevant resolutions and decisions of the United Nations regarding racism, racial discrimination and apartheid, and invites the Preparatory Sub-Committee, on the basis of the Secretary-General's draft, to submit to the Conference, through the Economic and Social Council, a draft programme of action;

9. Further requests the Secretary-General to report to the Preparatory Sub-Committee at its second session on the status of the documentation;

10. Recommends that the offer of the Government of the Philippines to act as host to the Conference should be accepted and that the formula decided upon by the General Assembly in its resolution 31/78 of 13 December 1976 regarding the cost involved in holding the first World Conference should apply to that offer;

11. Requests the Secretary-General to consult with the Government of the Philippines concerning arrangements for holding the Conference at Manila;

12. Recommends that the duration of the Conference should be two weeks, from 1 to 12 August 1983, these dates being subject to adjustment contingent upon the consultations with the Secretary-General;

13. Recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft resolution:

"The General Assembly,

"Recalling its resolution 3057 (XXVIII) of 2 November 1973, by which it proclaimed the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,

"Mindful of the Declaration and the Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,

"Recalling paragraph 26 of the programme of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination annexed to its resolution 34/24 of 15 November 1979, by which the Assembly decided that an important feature of the second half of the Decade should be the holding of a Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,

"Bearing in mind its resolution 35/33 of 14 November 1980, by which it decided to hold in 1983, as an important event of the Decade, a Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, which, while reviewing and assessing the activities undertaken during the Decade, should have as its main purpose the formulation of ways and means and of specific measures aimed at ensuring the full and universal implementation of United Nations resolutions and decisions on racism, racial discrimination and apartheid,

"Bearing in mind also the provisions of its resolution 36/8 of 28 October 1981 regarding the preparations for the Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,

"Taking note of Economic and Social Council resolution 1982/32 of 5 May 1982, containing recommendations regarding the organization of the Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination,

"1. Endorses Economic and Social Council resolution 1982/32;

"2. Accepts the offer of the Government of the Philippines to act as host to the Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination;

"3. Decides to convene the Conference at Manila from 1 to 12 August 1983;

"4. Decides to make an exception to its resolution 2609 (XXIV) of 16 December 1969 on the pattern of conferences and agrees that half of the additional cost involved in holding the Conference in the Philippines shall be defrayed from the regular budget of the United Nations;

"5. Requests the Secretary-General to invite as participants in the Conference:

"(a) All States;

"(b) The United Nations Council for Namibia, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 31/149 of 20 December 1976;

"6. Further requests the Secretary-General to invite as observers:

"(a) Representatives of national liberation movements recognized in its region by the Organization of African Unity, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 3280 (XXIX) of 10 December 1974;

"(b) Representatives of organizations that have received a standing invitation from the General Assembly to participate in the sessions and the work of all international conferences convened under its auspices in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 3237 (XXIX) of 22 November 1974 and 31/152 of 20 December 1976;

"(c) The specialized agencies concerned as well as interested organs and bodies of the United Nations;

"(d) Interested intergovernmental organizations;

"(e) The Special Committee against Apartheid;

"(f) The Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

"(g) The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination;

"(h) The Commission on Human Rights;

"(i) The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories;

"(j) Other interested committees of the United Nations;

"(k) Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council which have contributed to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and to the implementation of the Programme of Action adopted by the first World Conference, taking into account also their record in the field of struggle against racism and racial discrimination;

"7. Requests the Secretary-General, as part of the preparatory process, to take adequate steps to ensure that maximum publicity shall be given to the Conference and, to that end, to allocate the necessary resources from the regular budget;

"8. Calls upon all States to contribute to the success of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, in particular by their active participation in the Conference;

"9. Urges all States to co-operate with the Secretary-General of the Conference in the preparatory work and to consider the setting up of national committees for publicizing the aims and, eventually, the main results of the Conference;

"10. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth session on the work of the Conference;

"11. Decides to consider at its thirty-eighth session, as a matter of high priority, an item entitled 'Second World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination'."