Annan says UN anti-racism forum must confront past while planning for future

The upcoming United Nations conference against racism must deal with the effects of the past while paving the way for the future, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in Washington, DC, in an address to the United States' oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African-Americans.

In an address to the National Urban League, Mr. Annan emphasized that the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance must look "unflinchingly at every society in the world," focusing on flaws which exacerbate conflicts rooted in race and ethnicity. "We need to acknowledge the tragedies of the past, but not become captive to them," he said. "We need a Declaration that all people can recognize as their own - one that inspires all peoples, not just governments, to do their part, to understand the past and build a better future."

The Secretary-General noted that the months leading up to the Conference - scheduled to take place in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 7 September - have revealed "deep fissures on a number of sensitive issues, such as the legacy of slavery and colonialism, and the situation in the Middle East." If the Conference was to succeed, he stressed, common ground must be found. "The Conference must help heal old wounds without reopening them; it must confront the past, but most importantly it must help set a new course against racism in the future."

Mr. Annan noted that while prejudice could be found around the world, its effects were particularly stark in Africa. "From the genocide in Rwanda to the conflict in the Sudan to the tensions in Burundi, the continent is living with the most devastating consequences of division and intolerance," he observed.

At the same time, the Secretary-General saw grounds for hope in the recent decision by Africa leaders to form an African Union. "With leadership and courage, the African Union has the potential to do for Africa what the European Union has done for Europe -- to rebuild, as Europe did, after a series of devastating wars, uniting across old divisions to build a continent characterized by peace, cooperation, economic progress, and the rule of law," he said.

To seize this opportunity, Africa "needs its partnership with America and African-Americans to be as profound in its consequences as it is admirable in its aspiration," he said, pointing out the daunting challenges now facing Africa's peoples - especially the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Mr. Annan reiterated his call for support to the Global AIDS and Health Fund, which has so far secured $1.4 billion in contributions and pledges. "This is a very good beginning, but much, much more is needed," he said.