UNGA approves Russian draft resolution to combat Nazism, racism

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Nov 00:08
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As Nazism and racism are on the rise in multiple forms, Russia has put forward a resolution to combat the rise of Nazism by a number of approaches, including legislation.

United Nations General Assembly.

The UN General Assembly's Third Committee passed a Russian draft resolution on Friday aimed at combating the glorification of Nazism, gaining a 105-52 vote with 15 abstentions. The UNGA adopts this resolution on an annual basis; once it is approved by the committee, it must be voted on in the GA in December.

The document, titled "Combating the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to the escalation of modern forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," recommends that countries take appropriate concrete measures, "including in the field of legislation and education, in accordance with their international obligations in the field of human rights, in order to prevent the revision of the history and results of the Second World War and the denial of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the Second World War."

The resolution also calls on member states "to take active measures to ensure that education systems develop the necessary content to provide accurate accounts of history, as well as promote tolerance and other international human rights principles."

The resolution was co-authored by Azerbaijan, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Cuba, Laos, Mali, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and South Africa.

Authors that penned the document strongly expressed condemnation of incidents in which Nazi propaganda was glorified, for instance, pro-Nazi drawings and graffiti drawn on monuments of victims of World War II.

The resolution urges states to eliminate all forms of racism by all appropriate means, including by legislation, in addition to condemning using education and rhetoric to push these forms of racism, discrimination, hate and violence based on religion, belief, ethnicity or nationality.

Last December, the United States and Ukraine were the only two states to vote against the anti-Nazism UNGA resolution. The resolution recorded an earth-shattering 49 abstentions, mostly coming from Europe, where racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia are rampant. Other countries that abstained included Japan, South Korea, and Canada.

At the time, the UNGA expressed deep concern about the glorification of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism, and former members of the Waffen SS organization - the military branch of the Nazi party - including the erection of monuments and memorials, holding public demonstrations to glorify the Nazi past, movement, or neo-Nazism.

The Assembly also expressed its disapproval of any attempts to glorify those who fought against the anti-Hitler coalition, collaborated with the Nazi movement, and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.