nuclear-news

Australia to shun UN racism talks | theage.com.au

Australia to shun UN racism talks * The Age Daniel Flitton * April 20, 2009AUSTRALIA will boycott a United Nations forum on racism in Geneva starting today over fears that the meeting could be used as a platform to air anti-Semitic views…………………………………human rights groups were disappointed by Australia’s decision to pull out.

The National director of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation, David Cooper, said that while he deplored racism of any kind, Australia stood to gain from the forum.

“It’s a great disappointment that countries like Australia, the US and Canada that have got significant indigenous populations are not going to be participating,” he said, adding that the forum offered the first chance to discuss the international declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.

The president of the United Nations Association of Australia, John Langmore, said Australia’s failure to attend the racism forum was inconsistent with its support for the indigenous rights declaration, signed earlier this month.

Australia to shun UN racism talks | theage.com.au

April 22, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized