Ladies and Gentlemen,
in the title of your conference you are asking a big question „Are Modern Societies racist?” It does
not often appear obvious that you seem to be able to answer such big questions straight away.
However, in this case it seems indeed obvious to answer the question in the affirmative: yes, modern
societies are racist. And blatantly so! Most societies if not all are racist in one way or another. No big
surprise here.
This observation leads us to some important questions:
Is this the point where cultural determinism or a soft form of cultural relativism creep into the
argument?
Are we to accept the reality of racism for the simple fact that it is omnipresent?
Do racism and xenophobia represent phenomena we should be prepared to live with because most if
not all cultures display it in their unique, i.e. their own manner?
Our answer should be clear: No way! Under no circumstances!
But we need the right focus to make this answer an effective answer.
Please listen to the following two quotes from international documents:
“(This) government is (…) aware that racist attitudes and prejudices persist in some sections of
society in varying degrees and that a sustained and multi-faceted approach will be required to tackle
this problem in the long term.
(National Report by Germany to the Human Rights Council, 2009)”
“Despite all efforts made by (this) state to prevent hate crimes, racist violence and crime remain a
problem (…). In order to eliminate the phenomenon, (this country) continues to implement its
comprehensive and complementary strategies which…include education, legislation and penal
action.”
(National Report by Israel to the Human Rights Council, 2008)
You have just listened to two governments who describe the human rights situation in their
respective country with regard to the phenomenon of racism and xenophobia. The second quote
comes from my government`s National Report to the Human Rights Council. The first quote happens
to be from Israel`s National Report to the Human Rights Council.
Not much of a difference?!
Well, on this basis we can even answer the implied question of your title, “Do we find racism and
xenophobia in Israel and Europe today?”
Yes, very much so! And what is more: we k n o w that we can find racism and xenophobia in Israel
and Europe today.
You, honoured guests and scholars, are the experts in your field. Over the next two days you will be
analysing the phenomenon of racism from a multitude of angles. I am very much looking forward to
hearing your insights.
I am not an academic but just a representative of a government. The government of a country that
went through the darkest chapter of racist policies in Europe. When I served in Israel for the first
time as a young diplomat in the early nineties I could very much feel how disturbing it was that
terrible incidents of xenophobia where reported from Germany after re-unification. These incidents
were even more upsetting because they happened in a country that was held uniquely accountable
in that regard.
My angle may therefore be slightly different from yours. I am less interested in description. I am
more interested in what tools can be applied, what strategies effectively pursued to combat the
phenomenon of racism.
Because crucially, as President Joachim Gauck said earlier this year: “The history of human rights is
above all the struggle for their enforcement.”
To look into such means of enforcement, let me get back to the two reports which I used earlier on
to – rather crudely - make my point. The government statements you heard are in actual fact a very
concrete example of what governments can and are doing to identify racism and xenophobia in their
societies.
In this case, Israel and Germany decided to provide a voluntary and critical assessment of the human
rights situation in their country. By reporting to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, they submitted
themselves to the judgment and evaluation of their peers in the international community.
That is something that is quite extraordinary and far from self-evident.
As you are well aware, there has recently been a lot of discussion about Israel participating in the
Human Rights Council’s so-called Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – which the national reports I just
quoted from are part of.
We all know that Israel’s situation in the Human Rights Council is particular, and often difficult.
Germany has repeatedly spoken out against unfair tendencies by some in the Council to single out
Israel.
At the same time, we have encouraged our Israeli partners to come back to the Council. And we
were very glad to see Israel participating in the UPR last month.
Why was that so important?
Kofi Annan, the man who initiated the Human Rights Council, once said that “the true test of the
Council’s credibility will be the use that member states make of it”.
I believe the UPR is quite an astonishing and potentially wide-reaching tool, if we do apply it fully and
effectively, as Annan says.
It consists of a unique and unprecedented process. Through the UPR, the human rights record of all
UN Member States is being reviewed. Each state has the opportunity to declare what actions it has
taken to improve the human rights situation in its country and to fulfil its obligations. That way, the
credibility of a country’s human rights advocacy is measured by its readiness to let others scrutinize it
with a critical eye.
Since 2006, when the procedure was first established, all 193 UN member states have undergone this
cooperative process. Currently, no other universal mechanism of this kind exists. That’s why to us, it
was so important to have Israel on board.
I am not saying the UPR process is exhaustive. Far from it.
In fact, I am very curious to hear your views on this matter. How can we make these and other
existing instruments more effective?
Responsible and democratic governments know that racism can dangerously eat into the mind and
flesh of their societies.
The quest for effective tools to battle racism should therefore be our key priority.