A/62/306 support and appreciation for the work of the Special Rapporteur, reiterated its call to all Member States, intergovernmental organizations, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur, and called upon States to consider responding favourably to his requests for visits so as to enable him to fulfil his mandate fully and effectively. In addition, the Assembly encouraged closer collaboration between the Special Rapporteur and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in particular the Anti-Discrimination Unit. It also requested the SecretaryGeneral to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the necessary human and financial assistance to carry out his mandate efficiently, effectively and expeditiously and to enable him to submit an interim report to the General Assembly at its sixty-second session. 8. The Assembly invited Member States to demonstrate greater commitment to fighting racism in sport by conducting educational and awareness-raising activities and by strongly condemning the perpetrators of racist incidents, in cooperation with national and international sports organizations. 9. This report is submitted pursuant to the aforementioned resolution, whose main provisions are summarized above. II. Main observations 10. The most serious manifestations of the regression in the campaign against racism and xenophobia are, on the one hand, the resurgence of racist and xenophobic violence, in particular its most serious expression — a “shift from words to action” — seen in the growing number of acts of physical violence and murders targeting members of ethnic, cultural or religious communities, and, on the other hand, the political normalization and democratic legitimization of racism and xenophobia, resulting in particular from the ability of political parties advocating racist and xenophobic platforms to apply these platforms through government alliances. These manifestations represent the gravest threat to democracy and human rights. 11. The decline in the political and ethical determination to combat racism and discrimination is an alarming feature of a new ideological landscape characterized by discrimination that is more complex in nature owing to the conflation of race, culture and religion. As a result, a new discourse of legitimization of racism, xenophobia and intolerance is developing. It is seen not merely in individual actions, but is becoming a social and collective practice by virtue of its use as a political, intellectual and media tool. 12. This discourse, characterized by affirmation of the immutable nature of cultural, ethnic or religious identities, reflects an isolationism that stems from the conflict between old national identities and the profound multiculturalization of societies. This gives rise to identity crises that are key to the increasingly dominant idea of “integration-assimilation”, which denies the very existence of values and memories specific to national minorities and immigrants, and thus their contribution to the value system, history and, consequently, the national identity of their host countries. This approach is part of the old ideology of the hierarchy of cultures, races and civilizations, on which all subjugation of peoples and legitimization of racist culture and mentalities have historically been founded, creating fertile ground 07-49048 5