wfn.org | Ecumenical Caucus at U.N. racism conference urges action

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Sept. 5, 2001      News media contact: Joretta Purdue 7(202)
546-87227Washington    10-21-30-71B{373}

NOTE: The full text of the Ecumenical Caucus' statement follows this story.

By United Methodist News Service

Representatives of several churches and religious organizations have issued
their own statement about issues at the U.N. conference on racism under way
in Durban, South Africa.

Calling itself the conference's Ecumenical Caucus, the group, including
representatives of four United Methodist agencies and other Protestant and
Catholic organizations, began the statement with the simple declaration:
"Racism is a sin." It dehumanizes, dis-empowers, marginalizes and
impoverishes human beings, the caucus wrote.

Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, accompanied by others from the Ecumenical
Caucus, presented the statement on Sept. 5 in Durban. Liberato "Levi"
Bautista, the chief executive of the United Nations Office of the United
Methodist Board of Church and Society, chaired the committee that drafted
the statement. Bishop Mvume Dandala, of the Methodist Church of South
Africa, was among those attending the press conference with Tutu. Dandala
leads the World Council of Churches' delegation at the conference.

The Ecumenical Caucus includes representatives of the World Council of
Churches, the United Methodist Church (Board of Church and Society, Board of
Global Ministries, Commission on Religion and Race, Commission on Christian
Unity and Interreligious Concerns), United Church of Christ/Disciples of
Christ, Lutheran World Federation, Church World Service and Witness/National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, Diakonia Council of Churches
(Durban), the Church of England, Sisters of Mercy, Canadian Council of
Churches, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Church of Christ in Thailand, Medical
Mission Sisters, Christian Reformed Church of Canada and the Uniting
Reformed Church in Southern Africa.

In the document, the caucus addressed the controversial issues of slavery,
reparations and Palestine-Israel relations. Disagreement about these issues
led to the withdrawal of the official U.S. government delegation on Sept. 3.
The U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia
and Related Intolerance began Aug. 31 and ends Sept. 7.

Besides taking a stand on the hot-button topics, the Ecumenical Caucus also
expressed its opinion on less-reported issues, including concerns related to
the people widely known as gypsies, caste systems, migrant workers and
globalization, refugees and asylum-seekers, indigenous people, children and
young people, and religious intolerance. 

"The time to dismantle and eradicate racism is now," the caucus said. "It is
urgent for us and our churches to acknowledge our complicity with and
participation in the perpetuation of racism, slavery and colonialism, or we
are not credible."

Dismantling and eradicating racism requires addressing all its
manifestations and historical expressions, especially slavery and
colonialism, the ecumenical caucus declared.

As a result, the caucus called on "our churches and governments" to
acknowledge that they have benefited from the exploitation of African, Asian
and indigenous people and their descendants through slavery and colonialism.

"We further call upon our churches to address the issue of reparations as a
way of redressing the wrongs done, and to be clear that the trans-Saharan
and transoceanic Atlantic, Pacific and Indian slave trade and all forms of
slavery constitute crimes against humanity," the caucus said.

In concern for Palestine and Israel, the caucus called for "the end of
Israeli colonialist occupation in the occupied Palestinian territories, the
achievement of the right to self-determination by the Palestinian people,
including the right of return, and for the establishment of a sovereign
Palestinian state."

The caucus asked for dialogue among Jews, Muslims and Christians to promote
peace, tolerance and harmonious relationships.

The group also set a priority of ensuring "that all migrant workers have the
right to fair working conditions, decent wages and the right to organize,
free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerances, both in sending as well as receiving countries.

"We urge governments to legislate against and stop the trafficking of women
and children for sexual exploitation and domestic labor," the caucus said.
"Poverty and landlessness breed racism. The relation between migration,
poverty and landlessness must be analyzed especially under schemes of
privatization and globalization."

The caucus called for an acknowledgement that racism and its manifestations
are at the root of discrimination against refugees, migrants,
asylum-seekers, displaced peoples, undocumented individuals and internally
displaced persons.

The caucus challenged churches and governments to end the racial
discrimination inherent in caste systems, and it asked governments and the
United Nations "to prohibit and redress discrimination on the basis of work
and descent." 

Governments must devise measures "to eradicate the widespread
discrimination, persecution, stigmatization and violence" against the Roma,
Sinti and Travelers groups, the caucus said. "Public welfare, including
accommodation, education, medical care, and employment, as well as
citizenship and political participation must be ensured for them."

The caucus also urged support for indigenous people around the world. "Join
efforts with all entities to stand in solidarity with indigenous peoples in
their struggles for self-determination and in their efforts to build
peaceful and sustainable communities and to safeguard their indigenous
knowledge, resources, land and ancestral domains, free from discrimination
and based on respect, freedom and equality."

The Ecumenical Caucus wants religious freedom and religious liberty promoted
as human rights. In its statement, it asserted that any intolerance or
aggression in this area "is an attack on human dignity." It called on
churches to examine their complicity in religious intolerance in the past
and present, and it asked that they respect freedom of religion or belief
and protect the act of religious worship.

"We must acknowledge the negative impacts of religion, including the
uncritical use of sacred texts that unduly results in the assertion of
superiority of one group over another, but especially so on women, and take
immediate steps to address the violence that stems from such impacts," the
caucus wrote.

The caucus also asked that children and young people have a voice and
participate in anti-racism strategies and that follow-up and monitoring
mechanisms be put in place to see that the values and goals of the
conference's declaration be carried forward through concrete actions. The
caucus asked that the program of action being developed by the U.N.
conference incorporate gender analysis and that it and national action plans
be gender-sensitive on all levels - local, national and international.

"As people of faith, we call on all peoples, non-governmental organizations
and governments to earnestly strive to break the cycles of racism and assist
the oppressed to achieve self-determination and establish sustainable
communities, without violating the rights of others."
# # #
The full text of the Ecumenical Caucus statement follows:

STATEMENT OF THE 
     ECUMENICAL CAUCUS*
                    AT THE U. N. WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM,

          RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE

Racism is a sin. It is contrary to God's will for love, peace, equality,
justice and compassion for all. It is an affront to human dignity and a
gross violation of human rights.

Human dignity is God's gift to all humankind. It is the gift of God's image
and likeness in every human being. Racism desecrates God's likeness in every
person.  Human rights are the protections we give to human dignity. We
participate in the human rights struggle to restore wholeness that have been
broken by racism. The struggle against racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerances is the struggle to sanctify and affirm
life in all its fullness.

Racism dehumanizes, disempowers, marginalizes and impoverishes human beings.
Its systematic and institutional forms have resulted in the death of many
peoples, the plunder of resources, and the decimation of communities and
nations.

Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerances all work,
singularly and collectively, to diminish our common humanity. These thrive
within the intersections of race, caste, color, age, gender, sexual
orientation, class, landlessness, ethnicity, nationality, language and
disability. The dismantling and eradication of racism requires that we
address all its manifestations and historical expressions, especially
slavery and colonialism.

As people of faith, we call on all peoples, non-governmental organizations
and governments to earnestly strive to break the cycles of racism and assist
the oppressed to achieve self-determination and establish sustainable
communities, without violating the rights of others.

The time to dismantle and eradicate racism is now. It is urgent for us and
our churches to acknowledge our complicity with and participation in the
perpetuation of racism, slavery and colonialism, or we are not credible.
This acknowledgment is critical because it leads to the necessary acts of
apology and confession, of repentance and reconciliation, and of healing and
wholeness. All of these elements form part of redress and reparations that
are due the victims of racism, past and present.

As a faith community we pledge to struggle against racism and all its
manifestations in the hope that God's people fulfill today the Gospel
mandate that we "may all be one" (John 17:21).

To the above ends we commit ourselves to put the following priorities before
the World Conference Against Racism as well as to our churches and related
ecumenical bodies and institutions:
1. SLAVERY, COLONIALISM, APARTHEID AND REPARATIONS. For our churches and
governments to acknowledge that they have benefited from the exploitation of
African and African descendants and Asian and Asian descendants, and
Indigenous Peoples through slavery and colonialism. We further call upon our
churches to address the issue of reparations as a way of redressing the
wrongs done, and to be clear that the trans-Saharan and
transoceanic-Atlantic, Pacific and Indian--slave trade and all forms of
slavery constitute crimes against humanity.

2. PALESTINE. For the end of Israeli colonialist occupation in the occupied
Palestinian territories, the achievement of the right to self-determination
by the Palestinian people, including the right of return, and for the
establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. We encourage dialogue
between and among Jews, Muslims and Christians to promote peace, tolerance
and harmonious relationships.

3. DALITS AND CASTE-BASED DISCRIMINATION. For the recognition of Dalits
among the victims of racial discrimination and for caste-based
discrimination to be included in the list of sources of racism. Further,
that mechanisms must be evolved by governments and the United Nations to
prohibit and redress discrimination on the basis of work and descent.

4. ROMAS, SINTI AND TRAVELERS. For churches and governments to recognize
that they have exploited Romas through slavery, ethnocide and assimilation.
Governments should adopt immediate and concrete measures to eradicate the
widespread discrimination, persecution, stigmatization and violence against
the above peoples, on the basis of their social origin and identity. Public
welfare, including accommodation, education, medical care, and employment,
as well as citizenship and political participation must be ensured for them.
All these concerns must be addressed with the participation of Roma, Sinti
and Travelers and their communities.

5. MIGRANT WORKERS AND GLOBALIZATION. To ensure that all migrant workers
have the right to fair working conditions, decent wages and the right to
organize, free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerances, both in sending as well as receiving countries. We urge
governments to legislate against and stop the trafficking of women and
children for sexual exploitation and domestic labor. Poverty and
landlessness breeds racism. The relation between migration, poverty and
landlessness must be analyzed especially under schemes of privatization and
globalization.

6. MIGRANTS, ASYLUM-SEEKERS, REFUGEES, AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLES. To
acknowledge that racism and all its manifestations are at the root of
discrimination against refugees, migrants, asylum-seekers, displaced
peoples, undocumented persons and internally displaced persons. We urge the
United Nations to call on governments to take appropriate action to protect
the rights of such individuals in both the receiving as well as the sending
countries, ensuring them freedom of movement, equitable access to education
and health, housing and legal services. 

7. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. Join efforts with all entities to stand in solidarity
with Indigenous Peoples in their struggles for self-determination and in
their efforts to build peaceful and sustainable communities and to safeguard
their indigenous knowledge, resources, land and ancestral domains, free from
discrimination and based on respect, freedom and equality. We also call on
all of us to embrace the richness of the social, cultural, spiritual and
linguistic diversities of Indigenous Peoples.

8. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE. To promote religious freedom
and religious liberty as human rights. Any intolerance, aggression towards,
or denial of this freedom to anyone and any community or society is an
attack on human dignity.  Even as churches must examine their complicity in
religious intolerance in the past and present, we call on churches and
governments to respect the freedom of religion or belief and protect the act
of religious worship. We must acknowledge the negative impacts of religion,
including the uncritical use of sacred texts that unduly results in the
assertion of superiority of one group over another, but especially so on
women, and take immediate steps to address the violence that stems from such
impacts.

9. CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE. To ensure and empower children and young
people to have a voice and be included in anti-racism strategies.
Non-governmental organizations and governments should develop programs in
consultation with children and young people on all matters aimed at
educating them about their rights, involving them in cultural, political and
economic decision making, and assisting them in creating positive
self-identity and confidence, ensuring that their ethnic, indigenous,
linguistic and religious heritages are valued.

10. FOLLOW UP AND MONITORING MECHANISMS. To ensure that there are clear
follow-up measures and monitoring mechanisms to both the implementation of
and adherence to the aspirations contained in the Declaration and the
concrete actions contained in the Program of Action of the World Conference
Against Racism.  Considering the specificity of women's experiences of
racism, the Program of Action must incorporate gender analysis. National
action plans must be developed and resources identified and allocated for
the implementation of this Program. The Program of Action must be
gender-sensitive on all levels-local, national and international.

Durban, South Africa
September 4, 2001

*The Ecumenical Caucus includes representatives of the World Council of
Churches, The United Methodist Church (General Board of Church and Society,
General Board of Global Ministries, General Commission on Religion and Race,
General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns), United
Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ, Lutheran World Federation, Church
World Service and Witness/National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
USA, Diakonia Council of Churches (Durban), The Church of England, Sisters
of Mercy, Canadian Council of Churches, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Church
of Christ in Thailand, Medical Mission Sisters, Christian Reformed Church of
Canada, and the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa.

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
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