Declaration:
80. Asians and Asian Descendants face deep-seated racism and xenophobia, lack access to
political, economic and social opportunities, are denied civil rights and liberties, and are victims
of especially violent hate crimes, racial profiling, discriminatory employment and unjust
immigration policies and practices. In some cases communities such as Sikhs and others with
distinct identities composed of a complex interplay of racial, ethnic, religious and cultural
factors face institutional discrimination due to the fact that they do not fit into traditional notions
of race and ethnicity.
81. We note with concern that despite the contributions they have made to the countries
where they live, and regardless of their long history of residence in these countries, Asians and
Asian descendants continue to face distortion or omissions of their role in history in school texts
and the media, and are viewed as inassimilable foreigners, security risks, spies and terrorists.
82. We are concerned that Diasporic Asian descendants are often criminalized and used as
scapegoats for social and economic problems and international conflicts, and are subject to laws
and practices that overtly and systematically discriminate against them.
83. We note with concern that Asian and Asian Descendant women in particular suffer many
of the negative effects of globalization and of the intersection of sexism, racism and poverty, for
example as manifested in the portrayal of Asian women as submissive and exotic sexual objects
in the media as well as in traditional and historical negative attitudes that make them vulnerable
to trafficking for prostitution as mail order brides, domestic workers, low wage or sweat shop
workers, and as bonded labour.
Programme of Action
249. In situations of civil and international conflicts in Asia, including armed struggles
between ethnoracial, religious, national, or caste groups, international human rights
organizations must be given the right to investigate and document cases of rape, child abuse,
ethnic cleansing, detention without trial, custodial deaths, and disappearances. The international
community should be encouraged to impose sanctions against nation states that act with
impunity and refuse to comply with their obligations under international human rights law, and
courts should pursue prosecution of the perpetrators of heinous crimes.
250. We call on the UN Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights
to establish a Working Group on Asian and Asian Descendant populations including ethnic and
religious minorities in Asian countries. We further call on all states to create Commissions with
sufficient resources and with NGO participation to identify, examine and address issues of
discrimination and persecution against Asians and Asian descendants based on race, ethnicity,
caste, languages, religion, citizenship or migrant status, gender, sexual orientation, gender
identity, disability and other factors.
251. We call on states to institute programmes and policies to protect Asians and Asian
descendants from police misconduct and hate crimes, to ensure the full inclusion and equality of
Asians and Asian descendants through access to fair immigration policies, as well as fair access
to employment, housing and financial resources, and in particular to acknowledge and value the
work of Asians and Asian descendant women by protecting them from exploitation through such
policies and programmes.
252. We call upon states, media and academic institutions to address racism, xenophobia and
stereotyping of Asians and Asian descendants by promoting their appropriate and diverse
representation in text books, courses and both entertainment and news media and by ensuring
their fair access to media through relevant licensing and regulatory bodies.
