E/CN.4/1998/79 page 25 migration dated 7 May 1997 by the Presidents of Mexico and the United States, in which the two men committed themselves to protect human dignity within a comprehensive vision of the phenomenon of migration. They undertook to accelerate efforts to protect the human rights of migrants and pursue vigorously the administration of justice in situations in which migrants registered complaints concerning unlawful actions. They also undertook to respect constitutional guarantees in the implementation of immigration laws, and migrants' right to due process in the application of immigration laws). Lastly, the Mexican Government refers to the action it has taken with regard to migrant workers from Latin America and the Caribbean, farm workers in particular, in order to eliminate racism and discrimination against them and their families. Reference is also made to multilateral, particularly regional, cooperation. Special Rapporteur's observations 96. The Special Rapporteur welcomes these initiatives and wishes them every success. The communication from Mexico is available at the Secretariat. (i) Ecuador 97. The Ecuadorean Government “regards the struggle against racism as a reality and a challenge for the international community”, and believes that “priority must be given to the restoration of the primacy of law, the protection of States, and peace and harmony in inter-ethnic relations”. Ecuador “recognizes the right of ethnic groups to protection of all the characteristics necessary for the preservation of their cultural identity”. The Constitution (1996) and current legislation ensure the equality of all before the law. The Penal Code expressly bans incitement to acts encouraging racial discrimination, the perpetration of such acts, and the dissemination of ideas based on the superiority of one race over another or on racial hatred. The Ecuadorean Government has set itself the priority of preserving and strengthening the cultural heritage of the country's ethnic groups and combating discrimination which strikes at their cultural identity or existence as indigenous peoples ... The rights of Afro-Ecuadorean groups are guaranteed: the same civil and political rights accorded to other citizens are granted and applied to them. The Afro-Ecuadorean community is particularly conspicuous in the sporting and cultural fields. A representative of that community was elected Miss Ecuador in 1996. Special Rapporteur's observations 98. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Ecuador for the information in the document, which is available at the Secretariat. Given this information concerning government measures and other information already received at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur hopes that the Ecuadorean Government will invite him to visit the country so as to observe on the spot the situation and the efforts Ecuador is making.

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