A/HRC/20/33 B. Political parties 27. The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action underlines the role that politicians and political parties can play in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The Programme of Action encourages political parties to take concrete steps to promote equality, solidarity and non-discrimination in society, inter alia by developing voluntary codes of conduct which include internal disciplinary measures for violations thereof, so their members refrain from public statements and actions that encourage or incite racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.17 28. The existing economic uncertainty, slowdown of growth and the rise of unemployment in many parts of the world due to the global economic crisis have intensified social anxieties and created an environment conducive to xenophobic and racist attitudes and discriminatory policies and practices. The Special Rapporteur is concerned at the resurgence of political parties with racist and xenophobic ideologies and programmes that incite discrimination against certain groups of individuals which they blame for the insecurity and socio-economic problems experienced by the population. The Special Rapporteur is concerned in particular by the fact that such political parties may also sometimes go beyond racist, xenophobic and intolerant rhetoric and explicitly incite or justify the perpetration of acts of violence against vulnerable groups such as minorities, migrants, non-citizens, refugees and asylum seekers. Furthermore, in some instances traditional political parties have endorsed, through coalitions, the racist and xenophobic agenda and programmes of such political parties for electoral purposes. These worrying developments have been at the centre of the attention and work of the previous Special Rapporteur18 and will continue to be examined further by him. 29. The Special Rapporteur would like to emphasize that political parties bear considerable responsibility for promoting solidarity, tolerance and respect for diversity, especially against the backdrop of the current global economic crisis and disturbing spread of racist and xenophobic discourse including by high-ranking State representatives. He believes that keeping racism and racial discrimination out of politics requires a strong commitment on the part of politicians and political parties, and encourages them to publicly condemn racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur shares the view of his predecessor that political parties should work towards fair representation of national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities within and at all levels of their party system, to ensure that their political and legal systems reflect the multicultural diversity of their societies. 30. The Special Rapporteur believes that in order to prevent the proliferation of political parties with racist and xenophobic platforms and the use of racist and xenophobic discourse that incites racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, the underlying structural, legal and policy conditions should be properly assessed and changed. C. The media 31. In addition to their central role in democratic society the media also wield immense power in influencing and shaping people’s mindsets and attitudes through their coverage of events and through advertisements. As stated in the Durban Declaration, the exercise of the 17 18 10 Durban Programme of Action, para. 115. A/HRC/15/45, A/HRC/18/44; A/64/295; A/66/312; A/65/323.