The United Nations is an organization which formally came into existence on October 24, 1945. At first there were 51 members, currently there are 193 member states. The purpose of this organization was and still is to work for peace, ensure the development amongst nations and to uphold human rights. Together these member states have globally declared that they will stand up for human dignity and support the well being of all people. The United Nations (UN) can be considered sort of like a world parliament.
The UN’s first conference on racism which was in 2001 ended up in a fierce and bitter argument with specific member states claiming that it was designed to attack Israel, Zionism and the Jewish people. Now, 10 years after that event the UN is holding another conference dealing with racism in Durban, South Africa. However, specific state members are refusing to attend and plan to boycott this conference! The US walked out on the 2009 follow-up meeting and plan to boycott the 2011 conference. Other countries which are planning to boycott this event are: Australia, Canada, Israel, Austria, Britain, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The UN upholds that its 2001 conference was unfairly and wrongly accused to be anti-Semitic.
I was quite shocked when I found out that Canada was going to boycott this conference because globally they portray an image of fighting against racism and discrimination. Therefore by boycotting this event I feel that they are disrespecting those people who feel that they are being marginalized and discriminated against. It’s also strange how easily member states can simply choose to boycott such conferences which ultimately affect and concern the people of the world. Perhaps there should be stricter guidelines which would ensure attendance from all member states. This organization was originally designed to ensure that relationships would be made amongst different member states. These different member states might have differing opinions but the overall goal was to reach some agreement through dialogue. Yet Canada has refused to partake in such a dialogue. Hence, how can relations and understanding come about if some member states bluntly refuse to listen to the concerns of others?
Perhaps Canada doesn’t agree with some of the opinions of the other member states but refusing to even listen to the concerns of others who feel that their rights are being violated is just wrong! Canada’s presence in such conferences is very important because by attending they would give out the message that although they might disagree with certain opinions or views of others, they are still willing to respect the right that others have to express their worries and concerns. This issue has also been swept under the rug because we rarely hear about it in the news. Overall, it’s quite disappointing to know that this is the decision Canada has made.
The UN’s first conference on racism which was in 2001 ended up in a fierce and bitter argument with specific member states claiming that it was designed to attack Israel, Zionism and the Jewish people. Now, 10 years after that event the UN is holding another conference dealing with racism in Durban, South Africa. However, specific state members are refusing to attend and plan to boycott this conference! The US walked out on the 2009 follow-up meeting and plan to boycott the 2011 conference. Other countries which are planning to boycott this event are: Australia, Canada, Israel, Austria, Britain, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The UN upholds that its 2001 conference was unfairly and wrongly accused to be anti-Semitic.
I was quite shocked when I found out that Canada was going to boycott this conference because globally they portray an image of fighting against racism and discrimination. Therefore by boycotting this event I feel that they are disrespecting those people who feel that they are being marginalized and discriminated against. It’s also strange how easily member states can simply choose to boycott such conferences which ultimately affect and concern the people of the world. Perhaps there should be stricter guidelines which would ensure attendance from all member states. This organization was originally designed to ensure that relationships would be made amongst different member states. These different member states might have differing opinions but the overall goal was to reach some agreement through dialogue. Yet Canada has refused to partake in such a dialogue. Hence, how can relations and understanding come about if some member states bluntly refuse to listen to the concerns of others?
Perhaps Canada doesn’t agree with some of the opinions of the other member states but refusing to even listen to the concerns of others who feel that their rights are being violated is just wrong! Canada’s presence in such conferences is very important because by attending they would give out the message that although they might disagree with certain opinions or views of others, they are still willing to respect the right that others have to express their worries and concerns. This issue has also been swept under the rug because we rarely hear about it in the news. Overall, it’s quite disappointing to know that this is the decision Canada has made.
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