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 proclaims
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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