E/CN.4/2001/21 page 11 number of occasions stated their position of principle on the subject. Recently, on 10 July 2000, this position was once again reaffirmed by the President on the occasion of the inauguration of the memorial to the victims of the Minsk ghetto, which constituted an event and an act that might well inspire other countries in their efforts to curb racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. B. Cuba 20. The Cuban Government reaffirmed its commitment to the struggle against all forms of racial discrimination, based on the 1959 Revolution’s intention to create an egalitarian society from the political, economic and social standpoints. A number of legal instruments have been adopted to prohibit the practice of and incitation to racial discrimination (article 295 of the Penal Code). The formation of organizations of a racist nature that engage in racist propaganda is also prohibited by Act No. 54 on associations. 21. With regard to efforts to combat racism and racial discrimination at the international level, the Cuban Government considers that the prevalence of individualistic and discriminatory models of political, social and economic organization which, at the national and international levels, have the effect of exacerbating social exclusion and the marginalization of countries, peoples, ethnic groups, minorities and other categories of social groups and individuals, creates a context conducive to the development of contemporary manifestations of racism and xenophobia. The concentration of wealth has become the main obstacle in efforts to curb racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance. The absence of any real political will on the part of many Governments to promote measures to eradicate racism is apparent, for example, in the formulation of discriminatory migration policies and laws, the legalization of organizations, as well as political parties, based on racist ideas, the proliferation of racist propaganda inter alia by the use of modern technology such as the Internet, etc. 22. In Cuba’s opinion, current manifestations of racism, including inter-ethnic conflicts, reflect not only historical factors but also others of more recent origin, such as: 1. The unequal distribution of wealth at the national and international levels, which, in many cases was brought about solely through domination and the use of force; 2. The unjust and anti-democratic international economic and political order, which prevents the overwhelming majority of the world’s population from enjoying their rights; 3. The development of ideologies, policies and political groups and parties based on racist and discriminatory ideas; 4. The individualistic approach adopted to the question of the rights of human beings, without relating the duties of individuals, groups and peoples to the enjoyment of rights by the rest of humanity; 5. The colonization that took place on a massive scale during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and that imposed frontiers reflecting the balance of power