E/CN.4/2003/24 page 6 Introduction 1. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was confirmed by the Economic and Social Council on 26 July 2002. 2. This report is submitted in accordance with section IV of resolution 2002/68 adopted by the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-eighth session. 3. In the report the Special Rapporteur outlines the activities which he has undertaken since his appointment (chap. I); the principal manifestations of racism and racial discrimination which have come to his attention (chap. II); and the allegations of racial discrimination communicated to Governments (chap. III). The Special Rapporteur’s conclusions and recommendations are set forth in chapter IV, while the allegations examined by the Special Rapporteur and the responses received from Governments thereto are contained in the annex to this report. I. ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR A. Consultations with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 4. From 7 to 9 August 2002 the Special Rapporteur visited the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at Geneva in order to familiarize himself with the activities of the various programmes and mechanisms for the protection of human rights. He made use of the meetings he had with the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, and the officials responsible for backstopping the special procedures on migrants, human rights defenders and freedom of opinion and expression, to identify the fields of action in which coordination with his functions might be required. He also had meetings of a similar nature with the officials responsible for providing support to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the programmes relating to indigenous populations. 5. On the basis of these consultations the Special Rapporteur formed the conviction that action to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance underpins the majority, if not all, of the programmes and mechanisms for which OHCHR has responsibility. Work is being done by OHCHR to ensure that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action are translated into a variety of practical measures, whether in regional strategies, the work of treaty-monitoring bodies - such as the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which has already adopted general recommendations in this regard - or the special procedures. The Special Rapporteur therefore proposes to contribute to this consensus-based process through improved coordination and cooperation with the Committee, teamwork, complementarity with the other Special Rapporteurs, and dialogue with the Office of the High Commissioner, particularly the Anti-Discrimination Unit, and through the various mechanisms involved in the follow-up to the Durban Conference.