10/09/2026
VIDEO - 25th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action ( September 28, 2026 ) -
For those that were not able to join the 25th Anniversary meeting re the adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action from the World Conference Against Racism ( Durban, South Africa - August-September 2001 ) - see below the links to the 2-part session held last week in New York on September 28, 20026 !
The power of the contributions and reflections offered by the many participants made me think of what could have been over the past 25 years in Canada - where - apart from the efforts of many to push the Chretien-Martin governments of the day to sign on to the WCAR outcome documents - and on that basis their having created a first 5-year Canada Action Plan Against Racism ( CAPAR ) - with the arrival of the Harper-Kenney government in 2006 the WCAR process stalled and racial justice change-making in general was effectively shelved.
But we must remember that this didn't ( and isn't - as it continues today ) happen by chance - with the loud, steady and consistent effort by certain well-placed members of the Canadian Jewish community in particular - to attack, undermine and discredit all of the landmark, global racial justice roadmap-making work that took place at WCAR - as represented in the outcome documents.
People - many of Canada's otherwise brightest human rights advocates - some of whom I ( and I hope they ) think of as friends - like Irwin Cotler, Jack Jedwab, David Matas, Toni Silberman, Rabbi Dov Marmur, Artur Wilczynski, the two Canadian heads of UN Watch - Linda Frum and Hillel Neuer, and others - working to mis/dis and ill-inform Canadians so as to have them think and believe that WCAR was singularly what they would refer to as "an anti-Semitic hate-fest" ?
The result being - that in their having used - and in their continuing to use - their various platforms of power and positions of influence - a group that represents 0.9% of the Canadian population has demanded - successfully - that their needs, interests and concerns must take precedence and priority over those of Indigenous Peoples ( 5.0% ) and peoples of colour ( 26.5% ) in Canada. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Canada )
So given what we know all too well about the various ways in which these racialised Canadians face a broad spectrum of life chance, life opportunity and life outcome inequities and disparities - those that would benefit most directly from a full and robust implementation of the WCAR Declaration and Programme of Action framework - together representing 31.5% of Canadians as of the 2021 Census - need to stand down, take a back seat and wait their turn ?
We need our government to seriously reflect on the above - as the calls - and the need - for a federal Racial Justice Act, a renewed Racial Justice Action Plan ( with measurable and trackable targets, goals and timelines to effectively and transparently implement the existing Strategy ), as well as introduced-strengthened-expanded disaggregated data collection by all orders of government, and Employment Equity frameworks ( to include a faith-spirituality-religion designated group ) - federally, provincially, territorially - grow ever louder !
UN High-level Meeting to Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action ( September 28, 2026 ) -
Part 1 - https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17kzvb8g4
Part 2 - https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k16/k166cn2v34
(Part 2) High-level Meeting to Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action - General Assembly, 81st session
