Israel News
Israel, US Oppose UN Event Marking 25 Years Since Durban Conference
Israel and the United States are opposing a UN event marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Durban anti-racism conference, which was heavily criticized over antisemitic rhetoric and its focus on Israel.
UN Photo/Evan SchneiderIsrael is urging countries to boycott an upcoming United Nations meeting commemorating 25 years since the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.
The UN General Assembly will hold the high-level meeting on September 28 during its annual gathering in New York. The UN describes the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as a framework for combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
However, Israel, the United States and several Jewish organizations have objected to the commemoration because of events surrounding the original conference.
Israel and the US withdrew their delegations from the 2001 gathering. In particular, critics pointed to an accompanying NGO forum where participants distributed antisemitic material, displayed pro-Hitler messages and directed hostile rhetoric toward Jewish participants and Israel.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon has called on other countries not to participate in this year’s commemoration. Danon said the original conference promoted hostility toward Israel rather than advancing its stated goal of combating racism.
The United States has also announced that it will not participate. During a UN hearing in July, US representative Dan Negrea said Washington viewed the original conference as having been overtaken by antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric.
Meanwhile, the UN plans to use the anniversary to reaffirm the Durban Declaration and encourage further international action against racism. The final event will include speeches, a panel discussion and a political declaration.
In July, the General Assembly approved the format and organization of the commemorative meeting by a vote of 142 in favor, three against and 13 abstentions. Israel, the United States and Argentina voted against the resolution.
The UN previously held anniversary events connected to the Durban process in 2009, 2011 and 2021. During the 20th-anniversary commemoration in 2021, 38 countries stayed away.
