Keynote Address - Carolina Hernandez, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland
Carolina Hernandez
Stephanie Stobbe
The Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Responsibility to Protect Refugees
Among the core human rights instruments is the 1965 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial
Discrimination which has been the bulwark of the United Nations' fundamental principle of
"non-discrimination" based on race, colour, or national origin. This keynote will consider the United Nations
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and their efforts to eliminate all forms of racial
discrimination, especially as it relates to those who are refugees and others who are forcibly displaced. Race is
one of the five grounds for making a claim for refugee protection under the 1951 Refugee Convention. All
those who have a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race can seek asylum and can be granted
refugee protection, whether by the UNHCR or State Parties. Indeed, there is a responsibility for all member
States of the UN to protect refugees and it is the role of the UNHCHR to ensure that all States fulfill their
obligations in this regard. This keynote will outline the essential role that the UNHCHR performs in helping to
ensure that States eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
