Sixth session of the Working Group on Minorities
Agenda Item 4. The Future Role of the Working Group
Statement by Ida Hakim
Greetings Mr. Chairman and Members of the Working Group on Minorities. I appreciate being able to make a few comments. The sixth session of the Working Group has been greater than past sessions in my view. There is a serious working atmosphere and yet a relaxed atmosphere. It seems that the Minorities themselves are being given more consideration and that is much appreciated. Also, the working papers are found to be very informative and beneficial. The attendance of more State representatives is gratefully noted.
In my view the intent of the Working Group to promote mutual understanding between and among minorities and Governments is an excellent and appropriate intent. We hope that the Working Group will take that intent one step further and hear the prayer of the African-American representatives. Expert dialogue with the US Government on the subject of African-American reparations would, at this time, be one of the few ways in which the Working Group could serve to promote mutual understanding between the minority in question and the Government.
There is another role that I believe the Working Group could expand upon, and that is in assisting the African-American minority in its efforts at self-organization. African-Americans have a well documented collective experience which is of the essence to all minorities: that of the complete annihilation of identity and severing of ties to ancestry and the consequences of this criminal act upon the collective human spirit. The Working Group could invite African-Americans to share their accumulated wisdom with other minorities and with the experts, in the form of a written document. An invitation to share experience would have a beneficial effect as follows.
First, African-Americans in the US are to a great degree convinced that the US Government controls the UN. They have been very slow in believing that the United Nations will be able to do anything of substance for them, and it has been difficult for us to argue that the UN will recognize their suffering in a meaningful way. If the Working Group on Minorities were to invite African-Americans to share their experience in the form of a written document, the word would spread within the African-American communities that the UN is listening. Just this act of listening can serve to promote the self-organization of African-Americans.
Additionally, an invitation to prepare an official document of experience would facilitate the gathering together of a core group of Black leaders and intellectuals. In our view, this core group could potentially evolve into the foundation of a council or governing body.
Finally, I would like to make one small comment on the commentary to the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities prepared by Professor Eide. The commentaries are very helpful and very much appreciated. As to the importance of identity in Article 1.1, I would say that we view identity as equal in importance to physical life. The individual human being enjoys physical life: the collective enjoys a collective spirit which is identity. Both the life of the body and the life of the human spirit are essential. Thank you for listening.
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