United Nations A/RES/58/159 General Assembly Distr.: General 2 March 2004 Fifty-eighth session Agenda item 115 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 22 December 2003 [on the report of the Third Committee (A/58/506)] 58/159. The incompatibility between democracy and racism The General Assembly, Guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1 the Charter of the United Nations, the International Covenants on Human Rights 2 and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 3 Recalling the commitment reached in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993, 4 concerning the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Recalling also the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance on 8 September 2001, 5 Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 2003/41 of 23 April 2003, 6 Mindful of the responsibility of Governments to ensure such equality as is established in the relevant international and regional human rights instruments, inter alia, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Reaffirming that acts of racial violence and discrimination do not constitute legitimate expressions of opinion, but rather are offences, Alarmed by the rise of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in political circles, in the sphere of public opinion and in society at large, _______________ 1 Resolution 217 A (III). Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. 3 Resolution 2106 A (XX), annex. 4 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III. 5 See A/CONF.189/12 and Corr.1, chap. I. 6 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2003, Supplement No. 3 (E/2003/23), chap. II, sect. A. 2 03 50412