Navi Pillay: "I can't tell you who the lobby is..."

Flip_flop_politics
Published on Aug 17, 2022
Navi Pillay on Radio Australia (ABC), March 12, 2009.

TONY EASTLEY: The Federal Government will soon have to make up its mind on whether to attend a controversial United Nations conference on racism next month. Already the US, Israel, Canada and Italy have announced they will boycott the forum in Geneva.

The first conference, held in Durban in 2001, ended up with the US and Israel walking out, upset over the behaviour and anti-Semitic statements of some delegates. While the final declaration at the Durban conference condemned anti-Semitism, it wasn't enough to calm the waters, then and now.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay spoke to me from Geneva this morning. I asked what she thought about the calls for a boycott of the Geneva conference.

NAVI PILLAY: The original conference was marred by abusive or hurtful remarks against Israel, but in a small section of the NGO parallel forum. But it seems that those who have been hurt have continued this kind of fear that there will be a repetition of the anti-Semitic behaviour.

Now I can assure all Australians this is not a repetition of the Durban conference and we need Australia's voice here.

TONY EASTLEY: In blunt terms, what's in it for Australia to attend this conference?

NAVI PILLAY: What's in this is for pick up the best practices of other countries and to share your own best practices. And if you look at the paragraph of DDPA (Durban Declaration and Programme of Action) it spells out many ways in which one can deal with issues such as racism and racial discrimination and other intolerance, prejudices and practices such as xenophobia.

And Australia has an interest in addressing that issue just like any other country.

TONY EASTLEY: But does it need a big conference in Durban for Australia to address racism and other similar problems at home?

NAVI PILLAY: This is an international review conference in Geneva, by the way, and it's not just dealing with local issues. Assuming here we take the issue of minorities or Indigenous populations. They are spread all over the world and you want to a) understand how other states have dealt with these issues; and also make suggestions and recommendations.

TONY EASTLEY: And one of our Opposition MPs has called it a 'hate-fest', a term which seems to have caught on amongst those people who want to boycott the conference. What would you say about that sort of description as regards to this conference in Geneva?

NAVI PILLAY: I'm very unhappy about that description...

TONY EASTLEY: How did it catch on so quickly?

NAVI PILLAY: It's not quickly. I think that from the last conference there's been a sustained campaign and propaganda against the world conference I think because of the hurtful conduct against Israel...

TONY EASTLEY: Who's pushing the campaign?

NAVI PILLAY: Who is?

TONY EASTLEY: Yes, who is pushing this campaign, this rhetoric if you like?

NAVI PILLAY: Well I don't know. I just read very many articles and letters including the Australian media carried one, and they all carry the same terminology, 'hate-fest'. They carry the same misrepresentation such as saying that Libya, Cuba and Iran are the vice-chairs, whereas there are 19 vice-chairs and a committee of 20 member states.

So I can't tell you exactly who the lobby is; I can just pick out that it seems to be one source putting out this wrong information and labelling this review conference as 'hate-fest'.

TONY EASTLEY: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay speaking there on the line from Geneva.