Key dates:
27 January
International Day of Commemoration to Honour the Victims of the Holocaust
21 March
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
07 April
International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda
20-24 April
Durban Review Conference (Geneva)
UN System websites
UN website on human rights
http://www.un.org/en/rights/
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - list of human rights issues
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/ListOfIssues.aspx
What are human rights?
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx
Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide
http://www.un.org/preventgenocide/adviser/genocide.shtml
Lessons from Rwanda: United Nations and the Prevention of Genocide
http://www.un.org/preventgenocide/rwanda/index.shtml
United Nations outreach programme on the Holocaust
http://www.un.org/holocaustremembrance/index.shtml
Audiovisual:
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme (DVD 4)
On 1 November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 60/7, titled "Holocaust Remembrance". Reaffirming that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice. The resolution establishes 27 January as an annual International Day of commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, urges Member States to develop educational programmes on the Holocaust, and calls for the creation of a programme of outreach on the subject of the Holocaust and the United Nations, in order to help to prevent future acts of genocide.
2006 UN/DPI
Available for loan from UNIC Canberra http://un2.amblique.net/Information_resources/Library/Videos_and_DVDs.aspx
A Good Man in Hell: General Romeo Dallaire and the Rwanda Genocide (DVD 5)
In 1994, Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, commander of the UN Mission in Rwanda, warned of possible mass murder of the Tutsi minority by Hutu extremists. Unheeded by UN officials in New York, his warning became a reality; yet, as General Dallaire tried to save lives, the UN Security Council withdrew nearly all his troops. This video raises the question: What is our moral responsiblity when an entire group of people is threatened with annihilation?
Chpt 1: A Good Man in Hell (13 mins). Chpt 2: Archive version of full interview (88 mins).
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. NB Not a UN produced video but available for loan from UNIC Canberra http://un2.amblique.net/Information_resources/Library/Videos_and_DVDs.aspx
Human Rights Day (10 Dec 2008) compilation (DVD 12)
i) Special Message of UN Secretary-Gernal Bank Ki-Moon. 15'00"
ii) Special Message of UN High Commission for Human rights, Navanethem Pillay. 2'00"
iii) Message of Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koichiro Matsuura. 2'06"
iv) Documentary on human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It follows the work of the UN human rights teams investigating mass killings and rapes in the DRC and their efforts to assist the government and judiciary system in ending impunity for such crimes). 34'00" (Produced by MONUC)
v) Interview on human rights with OHCHR official, Mr Craig Mokhiber, Deputy Director of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York, discusses the relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the state of human rights today in the world. 15'00"
Available for loan from UNIC Canberra http://un2.amblique.net/Information_resources/Library/Videos_and_DVDs.aspx
Human Rights compilation (DVD 13)
i) Stolen Childhoods: Child Brides in Ethiopia (8'39")
ii) Sea of Woes: Trafficked and exploited migrant labourers in Thailand (8'37")
iii) Ancestral Waters: Philippine indigenous group asserts right to sea and lakes (8'04")
iv) Paraguay: Julio and Jorge (rights of disabled) 13'00'
v) Colombia's "Disappeared": Beyond tears (11'03") 6
vi) The forgotten ones: children of the Intifada (10'54")
vii) Adriana and Sorin: two Roma children (4'57") UN DPI 2008
Available for loan from UNIC Canberra http://un2.amblique.net/Information_resources/Library/Videos_and_DVDs.aspx
Durban Review Conference logo:
The 2009 Durban Review Conference logo is based on that of the 2001 World Conference against Racism, which was an artistic interpretation of the "Yin Yang" traditional Chinese black and white symbol representing the two opposing but complementing fundamental forces of life. The multiple shades of gray and artistic movement emphasize the diverse geographic, cultural and racial origins of human beings.
The updated logo aims to convey the message that not only is the Durban Review Conference a look back at what has been accomplished since 2001, but also a new way forward. The logo design may be accompanied by the slogan “United against Racism: Dignity and Justice for All.”