Racial Discrimination: LWF-Supported Group Presents Guatemala's 'Shadow Report' to UN Committee NGOs Provide Alternative Source of Information
GENEVA, 27 March 2006 (LWI) - Guatemalan social anthologist, Irma Alicia Velasquez, is an expert on issues concerning discrimination against indigenous people, especially women, in her country. With support from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Velasquez, herself a member of an indigenous community, participated in the 68th session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), 20 February-10 March 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Guatemala was one of the 16 States parties that submitted to this year's CERD meeting comprehensive reports on legal, judicial, administrative and other steps taken in fulfillment of obligations to combat racial discrimination. It is among the 128 countries that have ratified the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Velasquez describes the opportunity to present to the Committee a 'shadow report' on discrimination against indigenous people in Guatemala as historic. "Discrimination against people based on ethnic descent is prevalent in the economic, political environment and in structural settings, and the government has responsibility to effect change," she says.
Together with two colleagues, Mr Carlos Tamup and Mr Benito Morales, she is grateful for the LWF's support for Guatemalan indigenous people's participation in this year's CERD's session. Despite some doubts about the grassroots' effectiveness of the UN system, she experienced how openly the Committee receives concerns from individuals or groups claiming to be victims of a violation of obligations under the Convention. Equally important for her, were the Committee's critical questions to the state delegation concerning the issues raised by the civil society representatives.
It was the first time that the LWF, through its Office for International Affairs and Human Rights (OIAHR), was facilitating the direct participation of non-governmental organization (NGO) delegates in the UN treaty body system. This system comprises committees of independent experts, which periodically review the situation in countries that have ratified international human rights treaties. The committees rely heavily on civil society input as an alternative source of information about compliance with treaty obligations. The state reports rarely reveal the full picture, and even such a self-critical report as that presented by the Government of Guatemala may conceal some important concerns.
Increasing Human Rights' Violations
The Guatemalan NGO delegation to CERD comprised individuals from partner organizations of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS) office in Central America, covering Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The LWF/DWS Central American office points out that increasing human rights' violations in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are reflected in raids on civil society organizations, abuse by the police, labor rights' violations and legislated discrimination based on ethnic identity.
DWS Central America accompanies the region's peoples in their struggle to achieve reconciliation, justice and the consolidation of democracy through a holistic approach that includes support toward the most socially excluded groups. In preparation for this year's CERD review, the LWF office in Guatemala organized a consultation focusing on racial discrimination, and assisted in drafting the shadow report presented to the CERD before it considered the state report.
OIAHR, which sees its role as facilitator of participation by LWF member churches and field programs in the UN treaty bodies, expressed appreciation for the professionalism of the Guatemalan delegates, for whom this was the first interaction with the UN system. "Without the important input from the NGO delegates, the Committee would not have had the same critical view of the discriminatory practices against indigenous people in Guatemala," said Ms Gitte Dyrhagen from the LWF human rights' office.
CERD's periodic review of actions by States parties has had positive results including among others, amendments to national constitutions to include provisions prohibiting racial discrimination, and the creation of new agencies to deal with problems of racial discrimination and to promote the rights of indigenous groups. (640 words)
The LWF summary report on the CERD review of Guatemala is available at:
http://www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/OIAHR/OIAHR-Treaty_Body_Sessions.html
(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of 66.2 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)
[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]
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