US Urges Global Rejection of UN Durban Declaration's 'Anti-Western Legacy'
Ambassador Jeff Bartos asserts the 25-year-old conference laid the groundwork for anti-American ideology within international institutions.
The United States is calling on the international community to reject the legacy of the 2001 U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, arguing it entrenched anti-Western ideology and antisemitism within global institutions. Ambassador Jeff Bartos, representing the U.S. for U.N. Management and Reform, stated that the conference marked a significant turning point where virulent anti-Western ideas became a fixture in international bodies.
The Durban Declaration, adopted at the conference, is promoted by the U.N. as a blueprint for combating racism. However, Bartos contends it instead institutionalized radical notions about race, history, and Western civilization, which he finds incompatible with American values and the U.N.'s founding principles. The U.S. will not participate in commemorating the conference, urging other nations to join in its rejection.
Bartos highlighted instances from the conference, including calls for reparations against Western nations for slavery and colonialism, speeches by figures like Fidel Castro denouncing the West, and Yasser Arafat's condemnation of Israel. He noted that the conference's NGO Forum advocated for Israel's isolation, prefiguring the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The United States walked out of the conference at the time due to these developments.
According to Bartos, the radicalism that originated at Durban has since spread, influencing policies and discourse in various institutions globally under the guise of promoting tolerance. He argued that this adherence to what he described as ideological leftism has damaged the U.N.'s credibility and fueled conflicts.
Bartos emphasized that under President Trump, the U.S. will continue to oppose what he termed an "evil ideological project" originating from Durban. He called on allies and partners to embrace pride in their past and confidence in their future, rejecting what he described as the "politics of shame, self-hatred and decline."