A/63/339 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, among others. 19. In the planning and undertaking of country visits, the Special Rapporteur will take into account the underlying principle that racism is a universal problem of global implications and will therefore consider the importance of achieving geographical balance and of addressing a wide range of situations of concern to his mandate. 20. As the process of organizing the Durban Review Conference unfolds, with the forthcoming substantive session of the Preparatory Committee to be held in October 2008 and the Review Conference in April 2009, the Special Rapporteur is committed to participate actively and to provide a substantive contribution to the review process. In particular, he hopes that revisiting the historical Durban Declaration and Programme of Action will further strengthen the international front against racism and offer yet another relevant normative framework for the discharge of his mandate. IV. Activities of the Special Rapporteur 21. The Special Rapporteur was entrusted with his mandate on 1 August 2008. In section IV of the present report, he describes his participation in the Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Durban Review Conference held in Abuja from 24 to 26 August 2008. He also describes some of the activities of his predecessor, namely the reports submitted to the Human Rights Council and the country visits undertaken since the drafting of the last report (A/62/306) to the General Assembly. A. Participation in the Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Durban Review Conference 22. The Special Rapporteur wishes to note his participation at the Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Durban Review Conference held in Abuja from 24 to 26 August 2008. 23. In the speech he delivered at the Meeting, the Special Rapporteur highlighted the importance of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action to the international normative framework to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. He further emphasized that many provisions of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action had yet to be implemented. The Special Rapporteur therefore recommended that each Member State engage in a process of reflection and self-assessment that would underline the main successes and shortcomings in the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. 24. The Special Rapporteur noted the interplay and mutually reinforcing character of poverty and racism. In particular, he recalled that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action recognized that poverty, marginalization and social exclusion were not only closely associated with racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, but were further aggravated by those problems. He recommended that efforts to eliminate racism be therefore undertaken in conjunction with policies to eradicate poverty and promote human development. 08-49342 7