A/59/329 of its kind and took place within the framework of a process established for the regular exchange of information and the coordination of activities to be undertaken by the two mechanisms in the Americas regions. The Special Rapporteur presented his main observations on his missions to Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia and Canada. The Special Rapporteur drew the attention of the Commission’s members to the cultural depth, in the countries of the hemisphere, of the historical legacy of racism and discrimination, the ideological underpinning of transatlantic slavery and the colonial system. The racial factor and its corollary, the criterion of skin colour, continue, to differing degrees, to have a profound impact on the structure of society. In his opinion, this fact is not sufficiently recognized or adequately dealt with by the political authorities of the countries of the region. The meetings with non-governmental organizations, beginning with a forum organized by Global Rights, served as a reminder of the fundamental role these organizations played during the World Conference against Racism by presenting factual documents on manifestations of racism and racial discrimination. The Special Rapporteur also drew the attention of the organizations’ representatives to the fact that the current international climate is not conducive to efforts to combat racism and racial discrimination owing to the excessive focus on the fight against terrorism. In this context, he emphasized the need for greater mobilization and vigilance on the part of civil society, which must denounce the consequences of always putting security first, especially the marginalization of respect for human rights and the appearance of new forms of discrimination targeting communities and religions. In particular, he appealed for greater mobilization and vigilance on the intellectual front in the fight against racism, given the proliferation of scholarly, literary, journalistic and even scientific output legitimizing the culture of discrimination and discriminatory practices. He encouraged the non-governmental organizations to maintain the commitment to combating all forms of racism and discrimination that had motivated them during the World Conference against Racism, so as to influence the implementation of the final document of this Conference at the national level. The exchanges with those organizations also provided an opportunity to gather information on the impact of security measures on Arab and Muslim peoples in the aftermath of the events of 11 September 2001, an issue on which the Commission on Human Rights has requested the Special Rapporteur to prepare an interim report. 11. The Special Rapporteur also took part in the first World Forum on Human Rights, organized on the initiative of UNESCO in Nantes, France, from 16 to 19 May 2004. During this important meeting, which brought together more than 900 participants from 43 countries, he stressed the resurgence of racism and xenophobia and identified the factors that, in his opinion, have been largely responsible for the retreat in the struggle against racism. He then explained how the concept of diversity, in its pluralistic sense, and intercultural education could constitute solutions for combating the problem of racism in depth. The Special Rapporteur wishes to draw the attention of the General Assembly to the novel nature of the Nantes Forum, which gathered together representatives of States, civil society, victims, intellectuals and researchers, thus creating an opportunity for direct and informal dialogue and debate among the main human rights actors. The Special Rapporteur was invited to present a study on globalization and the struggle against all forms of discrimination and exclusion. He considers that this Forum, which complements the existing mechanisms, should not only become a regular event, but should also be supported and encouraged by the General Assembly and the 7