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implementation of the campaign at the national level, and the activities that h ave
been undertaken so far have been praised.
56. The Government Office for Human and Minority Rights and the Commissioner
for the Protection of Equality have conducted research on hate -speech graffiti as one
of the forms of hate speech. The intention was to bring attention to the connection
between hate crimes, hate speech and hate-speech graffiti, and the need for a zerotolerance policy towards hate-speech graffiti.
57. Finally, the Government pointed out that fascism and anti -Semitism are almost
non-existent in Serbia and emphasized that the International Day against Fascism
and Anti-Semitism is celebrated every year throughout Serbia. On 9 November
2013, a number of manifestations were organized at the national level and
contributed to the remembrance of the atrocities of the Kristallnacht, as well as the
dangers of historical revisionism and the relativization of crimes. The Government
of Serbia has initiated and realized a number of programmes in the field of
education, research and remembrance of the Holocaust, considering it a moral
obligation to civilization.
III. Contributions received from intergovernmental,
non-governmental and other organizations
A.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
58. The organization reported that discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race,
religion or language is a recurrent cause of statelessness. Indeed, the majority of the
world’s known refugees and stateless people belong to minority populations.
59. UNHCR leaders such as António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, Janet Lim, Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, and Volker
Türk, Director of International Protection, have spoken recently on the issues linked
to racism and xenophobia. They expressed the serious concerns of UNHCR about
the prevalent climate of intolerance, xenophobia and racism. One of the principle
objectives of UNHCR is to combat these and other forms of related intolerance.
60. UNHCR noted that racial discrimination and related intolerance are common
causes of flight and can threaten the protection of asylum seekers and refugees at
subsequent stages of the displacement cycle. Ideas based on the superiority of one
group over another can also hamper the search for durable solutions.
61. Xenophobia and racism, prompted by the common but often unfounded
perception that migratory flows are growing exponentially, can also have a direct
impact on the availability of protection for asylum seekers and refugees. Extremist
groups designate certain vulnerable groups, such as refugees, asylum seekers and
members of minorities, as the main source of the problems, causing anxiety among
the population. This may lead to the stigmatization of and perpetration of racist and
xenophobic crimes against migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced
persons and other vulnerable groups.
62. The organization summarized regional developments relating to racism,
xenophobia and related intolerance as they affect the protection of persons of
concern to UNHCR. Regarding Central Africa and the Great Lakes Region, UNHCR
14-59563
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