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Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice, E/CN.4/Sub.2/1982/2/Add.1,
annex V (1982).
Adopted and proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its twentieth session, on
27 November 1978
PREAMBLE
The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, meeting at Paris at its twentieth session, from 24
October to 28 November 1978, Whereas it is stated in the Preamble to the
Constitution of UNESCO, adopted on 16 November 1945, that "the great and
terrible war which has now ended was a war made possible by the denial of the
democratic principles of the dignity, equality and mutual respect of men, and
by the propagation, in their place, through ignorance and prejudice, of the
doctrine of the inequality of men and races", and whereas, according to
Article I of the said Constitution, the purpose of UNESCO "is to contribute to
peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through
education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for
justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms
which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race,
sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations",
Recognizing that, more than three decades after the founding of UNESCO,
these principles are just as significant as they were when they were embodied
in its Constitution,
Mindful of the process of decolonization and other historical changes which
have led most of the peoples formerly under foreign rule to recover their
sovereignty, making the international community a universal and diversified
whole and creating new opportunities of eradicating the scourge of racism and
of putting an end to its odious manifestations in all aspects of social and
political life, both nationally and internationally,
Convinced that the essential unity of the human race and consequently the
fundamental equality of all human beings and all peoples, recognized in the
loftiest expressions of philosophy, morality and religion, reflect an ideal
towards which ethics and science are converging today,
Convinced that all peoples and all human groups, whatever their composition
or ethnic origin, contribute according to their own genius to the progress of
the civilizations and cultures which, in their plurality and as a result of
their interpenetration, constitute the common heritage of mankind,
Confirming its attachment to the principles proclaimed in the United
Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its
determination to promote the implementation of the International Covenants on
Human Rights as well as the Declaration on the Establishment of a New
International Economic Order,
Determined also to promote the implementation of the United Nations
Declaration and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Racial Discrimination,
Noting the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide, the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of
the Crime of Apartheid and the Convention on the Non-Applicability of
Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity,
Recalling also the international instruments already adopted by UNESCO,
including in particular the Convention and Recommendation against
Discrimination in Education, the Recommendation concerning the Status of
Teachers, the Declaration of the Principles of International Cultural
Co^operation, the Recommendation concerning Education for International
Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms, the Recommendations on the Status of Scientific
Researchers, and the Recommendation on participation by the people at large in
cultural life and their contribution to it,
Bearing in mind the four statements on the race question adopted by experts
convened by UNESCO, Reaffirming its desire to play a vigorous and constructive
part in the implementation of the programme of the Decade for Action to Combat
Racism and Racial Discrimination, as defined by the General Assembly of the
United Nations at its twenty-eighth session,
Noting with the gravest concern that racism, racial discrimination,
colonialism and apartheid continue to afflict the world in ever-changing
forms, as a result both of the continuation of legislative provisions and
government and administrative practices contrary to the principles of human
rights and also of the continued existence of political and social structures,
and of relationships and attitudes, characterized by injustice and contempt
for human beings and leading to the exclusion, humiliation and exploitation,
or to the forced assimilation, of the members of disadvantaged groups,
Expressing its indignation at these offences against human dignity,
deploring the obstacles they place in the way of mutual understanding between
peoples and alarmed at the danger of their seriously disturbing international
peace and security,
Adopts and solemnly proc/aims this Declaration on Race and Racial
Prejudice:
Article 1
1. All human beings belong to a single species and are descended from a
common stock. They are born equal in dignity and rights and all form an
integral part of humanity.
2. All individuals and groups have the right to be different, to consider
themselves as different and to be regarded as such. However, the diversity of
life styles and the right to be different may not, in any circumstances, serve
as a pretext for racial prejudice; they may not justify either in law or in
fact any discriminatory practice whatsoever, nor provide a ground for the
policy of apartheid, which is the extreme form of racism.
3. Identity of origin in no way affects the fact that human beings can and
may live differently, nor does it preclude the existence of differences based
on cultural, environmental and historical diversity nor the right to maintain
cultural identity.
4. All peoples of the world possess equal faculties for attaining the
highest level in intellectual, technical, social, economic, cultural and
political development.
5. The differences between the achievements of the different peoples are
entirely attributable to geographical, historical, political, economic, social
and cultural factors. Such differences can in no case serve as a pretext for
any rank-ordered classification of nations or peoples.
Article 2
1. Any theory which involves the claim that racial or ethnic groups are
inherently superior or inferior, thus implying that some would be entitled to
dominate or eliminate others, presumed to be inferior, or which bases value
judgements on racial differentiation, has no scientific foundation and is
contrary to the moral and ethical principles of humanity.
2. Racism includes racist ideologies, prejudiced attitudes, discriminatory
behaviour, structural arrangements and institutionalized practices resulting
in racial inequality as well as the fallacious notion that discriminatory
relations between groups are morally and scientifically justifiable; it is
reflected in discriminatory provisions in legislation or regulations and
discriminatory practices as well as in anti-social beliefs and acts; it
hinders the development of its victims, perverts those who practise it,
divides nations internally, impedes international co-operation and gives rise
to political tensions between peoples; it is contrary to the fundamental
principles of international law and, consequently, seriously disturbs
international peace and security.
3. Racial prejudice, historically linked with inequalities in power,
reinforced by economic and social differences between individuals and groups,
and still seeking today to justify such inequalities, is totally without
justification.
Article 3
Any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race,
colour, ethnic or national origin or religious intolerance motivated by racist
considerations, which destroys or compromises the sovereign equality of States
and the right of peoples to self-determination, or which limits in an
arbitrary or discriminatory manner the right of every human being and group to
full development is incompatible with the requirements of an international
order which is just and guarantees respect for human rights; the right to full
development implies equal access to the means of personal and collective
advancement and fulfilment in a climate of respect for the values of
civilizations and cultures, both national and world-wide.
Article 4
1. Any restriction on the complete self-fulfilment of human beings and free
communication between them which is based on racial or ethnic considerations
is contrary to the principle of equality in dignity and rights; it cannot be
admitted.
2. One of the most serious violations of this principle is represented by
apartheid, which, like genocide, is a crime against humanity, and gravely
disturbs international peace and security.
3. Other policies and practices of racial segregation and discrimination
constitute crimes against the conscience and dignity of mankind and may lead
to political tensions and gravely endanger international peace and
security.
Article 5
1. Culture, as a product of all human beings and a common heritage of
mankind, and education in its broadest sense, offer men and women increasingly
effective means of adaptation, enabling them not only to affirm that they are
born equal in dignity and rights, but also to recognize that they should
respect the right of all groups to their own cultural identity and the
development of their distinctive cultural life within the national and
international contexts, it being understood that it rests with each group to
decide in complete freedom on the maintenance, and, if appropriate, the
adaptation or enrichment of the values which it regards as essential to its
identity.
2. States, in accordance with their constitutional principles and
procedures, as well as all other competent authorities and the entire teaching
profession, have a responsibility to see that the educational resources of all
countries are used to combat racism, more especially by ensuring that
curricula and textbooks include scientific and ethical considerations
concerning human unity and diversity and that no invidious distinctions are
made with regard to any people; by training teachers to achieve these ends; by
making the resources of the educational system available to all groups of the
population without racial restriction or discrimination; and by taking
appropriate steps to remedy the handicaps from which certain racial or ethnic
groups suffer with regard to their level of education and standard of living
and in particular to prevent such handicaps from being passed on to
children.
3. The mass media and those who control or serve them, as well as all
organized groups within national communities, are urged-with due regard to the
principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particulary
the principle of freedom of expression-to promote understanding, tolerance and
friendship among individuals and groups and to contribute to the eradication
of racism, racial discrimination and racial prejudice, in particular by
refraining from presenting a stereotyped, partial, unilateral or tendentious
picture of individuals and of various human groups. Communication between
racial and ethnic groups must be a reciprocal process, enabling them to
express themselves and to be fully heard without let or hindrance. The mass
media should therefore be freely receptive to ideas of individuals and groups
which facilitate such communication.
Article 6
1. The State has prime responsibility for ensuring human rights and
fundamental freedoms on an entirely equal footing in dignity and rights for
all individuals and all groups.
2. So far as its competence extends and in accordance with its
constitutional principles and procedures, the State should take all
appropriate steps, inter alia by legislation, particularly in the spheres of
education, culture and communication, to prevent, prohibit and eradicate
racism~ racist propaganda, racial segregation and apartheid and to encourage
the dissemination of knowledge and the findings of appropriate research in
natural and social sciences on the causes and prevention of racial prejudice
and racist attitudes with due regard to the principles embodied in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights.
3. Since laws proscribing racial discrimination are not in themselves
sufficient, it is also incumbent on States to supplement them by
administrative machinery for the systematic investigation of instances of
racial discrimination, by a comprehensive framework of legal remedies against
acts of racial discrimination, by broadly based education and research
programmes designed to combat racial prejudice and racial discrimination and
by programmes of positive political, social, educational and cultural measures
calculated to promote genuine mutual . respect among groups. Where
circumstances warrant, special programmes should be undertaken to promote the
advancement of disadvantaged groups and, in the case of nationals, to ensure
their effective participation in the decision-making processes of the
community.
Article 7
In addition to political, economic and social measures, law is one of the
principal means of ensuring equality in dignity and rights among individuals,
and of curbing any propaganda, any. form of organization or any practice which
is based on ideas or theories referring to the alleged superiority of racial
or ethnic groups or which seeks to justify or encourage racial hatred and
discrimination in any form. States should adopt such legislation as is
appropriate to this end and see that it is given effect and applied by all
their services, with due regard to the principles embodied in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Such legislation should form part of a political,
economic and social framework conducive to its implementation. Individuals and
other legal entities, both public and private, must conform with such
legislation and use all appropriate means to help the population as a whole to
understand and apply it.
Article 8
1. Individuals, being entitled to an economic, social, cultural and legal
order, on the national and international planes, such as to allow them to
exercise all their capabilities on a basis of entire equality of rights and
opportunities, have corresponding duties towards their fellows, towards the
society in which they live and towards the international community. They are
accordingly under an obligation to promote harmony among the peoples, to
combat racism and racial prejudice and to assist by every means available to
them in eradicating racial discrimination in all its forms.
2. In the field of racial prejudice and racist attitudes and practices,
specialists in natural and social sciences and cultural studies, as well as
scientific organizations and associations, are called upon to undertake
objective research on a wide interdisciplinary basis; all States should
encourage them to this end.
3. It is, in particular, incumbent upon such specialists to ensure, by all
means available to them, that their research findings are not misinterpreted,
and also that they assist the public in understanding such
findings.
Article 9
1. The principle of the equality in dignity and rights of all human beings
and all peoples, irrespective of race, colour and origin, is a generally
accepted and recognized principle of international law. Consequently any form
of racial discrimination practised by a State constitutes a violation of
international law giving rise to its international responsibility.
2. Special measures must be taken to ensure equality in dignity and rights
for individuals and groups wherever necessary, while ensuring that they are
not such as to appear racially discriminatory. In this respect, particular
attention should be paid to racial or ethnic groups which are socially or
economically disadvantaged, so as to afford them, on a completely equal
footing and without discrimination or restriction, the protection of the laws
and regulations and the advantages of the social measures in force, in
particular in regard to housing, employment and health; to respect the
authenticity of their culture and values; and to facilitate their social and
occupational advancement, especially through education.
3. Population groups of foreign origin, particularly migrant workers and
their families who contribute to the development of the host country, should
benefit from appropriate measures designed to afford them security and respect
for their dignity and cultural values and to facilitate their adaptation to
the host environment and their professional advancement with a view to their
subsequent reintegration in their country of origin and their contribution to
its development; steps should be taken to make it possible for their children
to be taught their mother tongue.
4. Existing disequilibria in international economic relations contribute to
the exacerbation of racism and racial prejudice; all States should
consequently endeavour to contribute to the restructuring of the international
economy on a more equitable basis.
Article 10
International organizations, whether universal or regional, governmental or
non-governmental, are called upon to co-operate and assist, so far as their
respective fields of competence and means allow, in the full and complete
implementation of the principles set out in this Declaration, thus
contributing to the legitimate struggle of all men, born equal in dignity and
rights, against the tyranny and oppression of racism, racial segregation,
apartheid and genocide, so that all the peoples of the world may be forever
delivered from these scourges
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