UN Racism Conference Boycotts

The Conference for Racism in Geneva starting April 20th was intended to review and discuss progress made against racism since the last conference held in Durban, South Africa in 2001 from which North America and Israel walked out. European Union delegates whom attended the conference, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the holocast in which Jews were persecuted and many killed, walked out following comments made by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"that after the Second World War the United States and other nations had established a "cruel, oppressive and racist regime in occupied Palestine"...... The UN security council has stabilised this occupation regime and supported it in the last 60 years giving them a free hand to continue their crimes,"

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's message that will be remembered not for his views that he has expressed before, but for the forum in which he chose to express them.

The U.S., Australia, Italy & Canada chose not to attend the conference in Geneva. The U.S. decision not to attend this year followed intense lobbying by pro-Israel groups in America and Obama said he was not certain that this years conference would not single out Israel and treatment of Palestians by Israeli forces.

"This decision is inconsistent with the administration's policy of engaging with those we agree with and those we disagree with"

Barbara Lee,
chair of the congressional black caucus

Ban Ki Moon, the U.N. Chief said this conference has been misused to divide and accuse and even to insult.

Sources: Aljazeera News Hour, Sky News broadcast 20/4/09

Earth Family Project, celebrating Race Relations Day - Aotearoa New Zealand

School groups and members of the public came to participate in the Earth Family Project held in local libraries across Aotearoa New Zealand and were invited to make a clay figure of themselves and their family. The concept of the Earth Family Project is that on the outside we appear different but on the inside we are made up of the same elements, and the creation of the Earth Family is symbolic of our human diversity.

Everyone enjoyed taking part, especially the children whom couldn't wait to get their hands on their piece of clay! With a creative spirit, alot of work was put into drawing faces in the clay and sculpting figures, a really fun activity!

The project has been running for a couple of years in different areas in Aotearoa New Zealand, and is gaining popularity year by year. The Earth Family project aims to deal with the concept of difference and race relations by drawing on creativity, and is suitable for all ages including children and youth.

Earth Family Project is held to celebrate Race Relations Day March 21st, in conjunction with Te Kahui Tika Tangata the Human Rights Commission as part of Te Ngira, the Diversity Action Programme and many events were organised and supported by city councils.

A beautiful Story

"But back in Lahore, as I flipped through my mother’s photo albums from her school days, it was hard to imagine these two women — one now so distinctly Pakistani in her shalwar-kameezes and the other so Indian in her saris and bindis — as ever having dressed like this.

In these black and white pictures, there were no Hindus and no Muslims, no Brahmans and no Syeds — just a giggly group of girls in t-shirts and capris (which they called “knickerbockers”) — thrilled to be dipping their feet into the glacial streams that flowed off Mount Al Pathar on the way to Gulmarg".

Read the whole story at Lahore Nama blog