As the August 30 opening of the UN World Conference against Racism rapidly approaches, U.S. attempts to derail the growing movement for reparations are escalating. The United Nations� World Conference against Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will be the first UN World Conference of the 21st century. It represents a unique opportunity for African people to implement the demand which Malcolm X left us�to put our issue before the world. It will be held in Durban, South Africa, from Aug. 30-Sept. 7 of this year.

Since 1997, when the UN agreed to hold this World Conference, the United States, Canada and Western Europe (the "WEO" Group of countries) have done all they can to prevent it from succeeding. "Success" is always determined from whose side of the fence you are looking. Malcolm X often quoted the African proverb, "What�s good news for some is bad news for others." For people of African descent, within the Diaspora or on the African continent, a successful World Conference must address three key issues: 1) A declaration that the trans-Atlantic slave trade is a crime against humanity; 2) Reparations for the descendants of the victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery; and 3) the economic basis of racism.

The United States, Canada and Western Europe, all the former colonizing/settler-colony countries, have formed a united front to ensure that these issues will not be addressed at the World Conference. It is normal practice before UN World Conferences are actually held, that they are preceded by a PrepCom (Preparatory Committee meetings) in the various geographical regions of the world where the actual content of the final document and program of action is worked out.

For the upcoming World Conference, all of the regional PrepComs have been completed. In Geneva, Switzerland, a working group meeting from March 6-9 considered a Draft Declaration (the "Durban Declaration") and tried to resolve a dispute about whether or not "compensatory relief" (i.e. reparations) should even be considered as a theme of the World Conference. This is only an issue because of U.S. and Western European opposition.

In respect to the situation of African people, on the Continent and in the Diaspora, the proposed Durban Declaration (written by the UN Secretariat but clearly influenced by the WEO Group) is pathetically weak. It disregards the thrust of the Dakar Declaration which came out of the African Regional PrepCom. There is no clear statement that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade is a crime against humanity. There is no mention of reparations in the context of the descendants of victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery.

It highlights anti-Semitism, but incredibly doesn�t mention Negrophobia, i.e. white supremacy against Africans, the very situation that gave rise to the ideology of racism.

On these key issues, the Durban document reflects the compromise language which the U.S. and Canada finessed out of the Santiago PrepCom (held in Santiago, Chile, and attended by the author). At Santiago, the Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries, in the interests of consensus with the U.S. and Canada (neither of whom are members of this Regional Grouping and who usually attend the WEO meetings), agreed to watered-down language on the issues of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and reparations. At the last minute, when it was too late to incorporate stronger language, the U.S. and Canada pulled out and refused to support the language they had put forward as being acceptable to them. It is clear that they had never intended to agree to any language on these issues and the "negotiations" were actually a ploy to weaken the final Santiago Declaration.

For more than a decade, the December 12th Movement International Secretariat has fought in defense of the human rights of African people at the United Nations, in both Switzerland and in New York. During that time, we have come to understand that while we as African people may not recognize the importance of the international arena to the progress of our struggle, the U.S. and its allies are crystal clear about it. As a result, we as an African people must step up our organizing. We must demand that our elected officials take a stand on these critical issues. We must plan to attend the World Conference in Durban.

For more information, The December 12th Movement can be contacted at (718) 398-1766; (718) 623-1855(fax). The Dakar Declaration can be retrieved from the UN website: www.unhchr.ch.

(Roger Wareham is a founding member of the December 12th Movement. He is the International Secretary General of the International Association Against Torture and a partner in the law firm of Thomas, Wareham & Richards located in Brooklyn, N.Y.)