A/HRC/11/36 page 15 46. On 23 January 2009, the Special Rapporteur participated in the Wilton Park Conference on Contemporary and Future Human Rights Challenges, held in West Sussex, United Kingdom. At the conference, he addressed some substantive aspects of the Durban Review Conference and its centrality in the fight against racism. In particular, he addressed the possible implications of the financial crisis for the fight against racism. The Special Rapporteur stated that, with soaring unemployment and decreasing salaries, some groups might try to manipulate public opinion to generate a strong anti-immigration backlash and to blame migrants for current economic problems. These xenophobic expressions were at times intertwined with racial prejudice and stereotypes, as migrants could often be differentiated based on their race or ethnicity. The Special Rapporteur also addressed the issue of the overlap between poverty and race. He stated that, in many areas, owing to historical legacies and present discrimination, one could quickly identify that the poorest segments of the population were disproportionately composed of racial or ethnic minorities. This structural situation posed numerous challenges to the promotion of equality. Poverty created a vicious circle for members of a minority: lack of education, adequate housing and health care transmitted poverty from generation to generation, and perpetuated racial prejudices and stereotypes towards them. Breaking with the double trap of racism and poverty was therefore an essential requirement to the promotion of equality and non-discrimination. 47. On 19 March 2009, the Special Rapporteur participated in a high-level panel to celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. He recalled that the International Day was particularly meaningful in 2009 in view of the Durban Review Conference, scheduled to be held only a month later. The Special Rapporteur also highlighted a number of substantive issues, including the dual impact that the financial crisis would have on minorities, with devastating consequences for their socio-economic vulnerability. Just like others, minorities would suffer from decreasing wages, increasing unemployment and, even more critical, lower standards of living. In addition, they were also more vulnerable to many expressions of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, which could take the form of increased intolerance of foreigners, particularly migrants. In the current context, the positive contribution of migrants to economic growth, social interaction and cultural diversity tended to be forgotten. Rather, migrants were more likely to be seen as competitors for scarce jobs and social services. Political parties were often ready to capitalize on these fears for political ends. Racist and xenophobic political platforms were still widespread, attesting to our collective failure to combat racism effectively. V. RECOMMENDATIONS 48. The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference provide the most comprehensive frameworks for the fight against racism. The main challenge lies in the implementation of these two documents. The Special Rapporteur strongly recommends that Member States formally establish specific implementation mechanisms that will allow for adequate implementation of the pledges that they made in the Durban Review Conference. In particular, the Special Rapporteur recommends that Member States adopt concrete targets and yardsticks for the implementation of the outcome document.