A/RES/53/131 Page 2 Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/26 of 17 April 1998 on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,3 and of agreed conclusions 1998/2 on the coordinated follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,4 adopted by the Economic and Social Council on 28 July 1998, Reiterating the importance of the Convention, which is one of the most widely accepted human rights instruments adopted under the auspices of the United Nations, Mindful of the importance of the contributions of the Committee to the effective implementation of the Convention and to the efforts of the United Nations to combat racism and all other forms of discrimination based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, Noting that the reports submitted by States parties under the Convention contain, inter alia, information about the causes of, as well as measures to combat, contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Calling upon States that have not yet become parties to the Convention to ratify it or accede thereto, Emphasizing the obligation of all States parties to the Convention to take legislative, judicial and other measures in order to secure full implementation of the provisions of the Convention, Recalling its resolution 47/111 of 16 December 1992, in which it welcomed the decision, taken on 15 January 1992 by the Fourteenth Meeting of States Parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,5 to amend paragraph 6 of article 8 of the Convention and to add a new paragraph, as paragraph 7 of article 8, with a view to providing for the financing of the Committee from the regular budget of the United Nations, and reiterating its deep concern that the amendment to the Convention has not yet entered into force, Stressing the importance of enabling the Committee to function smoothly and to have all necessary facilities for the effective performance of its functions under the Convention, Recalling the provisions of paragraph 4 of article 10 of the Convention regarding the location of the meetings of the Committee and the provisions of paragraph 1 of article 8 regarding the composition of the Committee, 3 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1998, Supplement No. 3 (E/1998/23), chap. II, sect. A. 4 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-third Session, Supplement No. 3 and corrigendum (A/53/3 and Corr.1), chap. VI, para. 3. 5 See CERD/SP/45, annex. /...