Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Durban, 3 September 2001
N° 122

At a meeting organised by the Inter–Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the South African Parliament on the occasion of the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, some 300 parliamentarians from over 50 countries have unanimously adopted a Declaration in which they express their commitment to combat racism.

The Declaration, while recognizing the particular role and responsibility that parliaments have in the fight against racism, also acknowledges that their members have a personal responsibility to use their influence on public opinion to promote the values of diversity and tolerance.

The Speaker of the National Assembly of the South African Parliament, Dr. Frene Ginwala will present the Declaration to the Plenary of the WCAR on 4 September. She said that "as elected representatives, individually and collectively, parliamentarians are both the product and custodians of the democratic values, processes, and systems in our countries and must set the national tone for tolerance and to support new ambitious initiatives in this field in the international arena." Commenting on the final document she said, "the world will be watching with great interest to see if we indeed take concrete action and follow up on our Declaration. We therefore cannot fail".

The Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, pointed out that "Parliaments have a key role to play in supervising government action, enacting appropriate legislation where needed and deciding on the allocation of the national budget. Moreover, parliaments are key actors in elaborating plans of action". He also said that "the IPU is certainly keen to take up the invitation which is included in the Declaration of the Parliamentary Meeting and the Programme of Action of the World Conference itself to encourage Parliaments to follow up on the commitments made."

Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 141 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York.