A/71/325
5.
In accordance with the practice established in previous reports, the Special
Rapporteur presents herein a summary of the information received on relevant
activities undertaken by Member States pursuant to General Assembly resolution
70/139. In preparing the report, the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) sent a note verbale on 15 March 2016
to Member States and a letter to non-governmental organizations requesting
information on the implementation of the resolution. By 30 June 2016, replies had
been received from Argentina, Cuba, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Morocco, Paraguay,
the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Trinidad and Tobago. The
Special Rapporteur also received submissions from the World Veterans Federation,
the Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria, the Latvian Anti-Nazi Committee and the
Latvian Human Rights Committee. 1 The Special Rapporteur wishes to thank all
those who contributed information for the present report, and regrets not b eing able
to consider submissions received after 30 June 2016.
6.
The information received is summarized herein, as requested in paragraph 43
of resolution 70/139.
II. Contributions received from Member States
A.
Argentina
7.
The Government of Argentina made reference to several initiatives undertaken
to combat the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that
contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance, including the role of the Ministry of Justice and
Human Rights and the National Institute to Combat Discrimination, Xenophobia
and Racism, particularly their efforts in implementing the National Plan against
Discrimination.
8.
The Government highlighted the various activities carried out by the National
Institute to Combat against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism to accomplish
its task, in particular the work of the Interculturalism Unit of the Directorate for the
Promotion and Development of Anti-Discrimination Practices. The Unit, which was
established in 2011, deals with the specific issue of racial discrimination against
groups whose identities are fundamentally shaped by a shared ethnicity, nation,
tradition, religion, language or territorial origin. The Gov ernment stressed that the
focus on interculturalism is a way of reformulating the destructive and hierarchical
relations inherent in Nazism, neo-Nazism, xenophobia and racial discrimination.
9.
The Government stressed the importance of digital media as a specific area for
regulation because it can be used to disseminate racism, xenophobic and intolerant
discourse. As a consequence, the “platform for an Internet free from discrimination ”
was designed to monitor and guarantee the open use of the Internet. Wi th regard to
the detection of signs of racism, Nazism, neo-Nazism and xenophobia on the
Internet, the virtual platform works with the Web Observatory to find timely
solutions in order to ensure that anti-Semitic content is removed from the Internet.
10. The Government mentioned the establishment by the National Institute to
Combat Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism of a complaints centre where
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The original submission are available in the files of the OHCHR secretariat.
16-13939