EuropaWorld 31/8/2001 The World Conference Against Racism website

At the start of the preparations for the World Conference Against Racism, Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson, declared an ambitious aim of securing the widest possible involvement of civil society in helping the conference meet its human rights objectives. This is a noble sentiment but arguably an unenviable task, given that the conference, no matter how
fundamental to humanity, will sustain but limited mainstream media attention. Accessibility to such conferences has traditionally been limited in the extreme. Fortunately, however, the website devoted to this particular conference is a sign that perhaps this tide is starting to turn.

The designers behind the WCAR website have obviously appreciated the need for digestible information that can be easily accessed and enjoyed - as much by the casual as the well-informed browser. The conference’s main themes – such as race and gender, migration, protection of minorities and trafficking, - each provide a headline behind which background information
on the issue, and its place in the Conference, can be obtained.

Highlights from the activities of each day are displayed and, for those wishing to see more of the debate for themselves, a live webcast from the Conference is provided. Audio broadcasts are also available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Russian – the six languages used
throughout the site.

Further background information is provided through online newsletters detailing the preparation process to the Conference. Lists of documents and participants can also be accessed along with, of course, the daily calendar of plenary sessions and debates. Press releases provide condensed summaries of the most important, successful or controversial events of the day, although if an independent analysis is preferred, links to the critiques of other organisations involved in the Conference are provided. Finally access to other relevant resources and the Dag Hammarskjöld library are provided for those wishing to make their own conclusions.

The Conference’s website proves that, should Mary Robinson’s wish of broad civil society participation remain unfulfilled, it is certainly not for want of trying. The website makes both the daily minutiae, and the broader overall goals, of the Conference accessible to anyone with internet access.

For anyone wishing to learn more about the causes and impacts of racism, and the reactions of the world’s leaders to eliminating this scourge, EuropaWorld recommends www.un.org/WCAR