Statement by Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe
United States Government
Human Rights Council, 13th Session, Geneva
Friday, March 25, 2010
Thank you Mr. President,
The United States has worked over the past six months through visits in capitals and countless meetings here in Geneva to find concrete ways to advance the important fight against racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.
This is an important priority for our President and we are here to help find a constructive way forward on these issues. We have all engaged in open dialogue to find ways to strengthen efforts to address and combat intolerance. We are determined to work together to enhance the capability of the international community to address and combat incidents of intolerance, discrimination, and violence against persons based on their race and religion, and to reverse these disturbing trends. We initially put forward a text that represented for us a positive path forward to promote and protect the human rights of all individuals.
In deference to our African Group partners and their traditional leadership on this resolution, we are withdrawing resolution L3. We ask the Council to consider resolution L9 presented by Nigeria on behalf of the African Group, on which we hope there will be consensus and which will provide a genuine avenue for constructive movement to address the real problems of discrimination and intolernce.
Thank you.