Kofi Annan calls for humanity free of race barriers

Accra (Greater Accra) 19 March '99

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said globalisation, which is creating a world community without borders, should also create a humanity free of the barriers of race. In a statement to mark Day for elimination of racial discrimination which falls on March 21, he said the world should resolve to confront racial discrimination. Mr Annan said as the world marks the last Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this century it must know that racism can, will and must be defeated. He noted that this century "has been scarred like no other by the evils of racism." However, it has also witnessed a revolution in the relations between races. "From colonial oppression to the triumph of the civil rights movement, from genocide to self-determination, from racist atrocities to the end of apartheid, the century has given us reasons to rejoice and reasons to remain vigilant." Mr Annan said ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda. "In most modern conflicts, the men of war prey on the ignorance of the populace to instil fears and arouse hatreds. "That was the case in Bosnia and in Rwanda, where genocidal ideologies took root in the absence of truthful information and honest education. "That is the case in so-called developed and peaceful societies where human acts of racism continue to be perpetrated between neighbours to this day. "If only half the effort had gone into teaching those peoples what united them, and not what divides them, unspeakable crimes could have been prevented." Mr Annan said bigotry, hatred and prejudice are ugly symptoms of a sickness humanity has suffered. "Our mission, therefore, is to confront ignorance with tolerance, bigotry with knowledge and isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity."