Ireland is among 41 states which will sign a declaration committing themselves to work towards eliminating racism at a major European conference which starts today in Strasbourg.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson, will deliver a robust message reminding states of their obligations to fight racism in her keynote address to the conference today.
Mrs Robinson is expected to call for discussions on how to reinforce international co-operation on the harmonisation of anti-racism legislation and the co-ordination of strategies.
A spokesman for Mrs Robinson said her speech would be "very tough" and would highlight the obligations of states to guarantee human rights to individuals without distinction.
Some 500 participants from the 41 member states of the Council of Europe will attend the three-day conference All Different, All Equal: From Principle to Practice. The German Nobel laureate, Mr Gunter Grass, will also speak today at the opening ceremony.
The Council of Europe which is hosting the conference is the oldest political organisation on the continent, set up in 1949 to defend human rights, standardise member countries' social and legal practices and promote awareness of European identity. The conference is in preparation for a United Nations World Conference to be held in South Africa in September 2001.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr John O'Donoghue, will attend the closing day of the conference on Friday when ministers from the council's 41 member states will adopt the political declaration reaffirming their commitment to eliminate racism.
He is among some 30 ministers of justice, home affairs and foreign affairs from the council's member states who will attend the ceremony.
They will adopt the declaration during the closing session, which will be chaired by the Italian Minister for Justice, Mr Piero Fassino.
The Committee of Ministers, the decision-making body of the Council of Europe, which directly represents member-states, was meeting yesterday afternoon to finalise the wording of the political declaration.
A spokesman for the Minister said he welcomed the European conference, which would contribute towards developing awareness of the many issues of racism. "It will clarify the role of governments and state agencies in dealing with racism and developing policies, mechanisms and good practice to defeat it both at government level and in wider society," he added.
An Irish conference in preparation for this week's Strasbourg gathering was hosted last month by the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism which comes under the aegis of the Department of Justice.
Today's formal opening in the council's headquarters, the Palais de l'Europe, will be preceded by events for some 500 school children aged between eight and 15 from across the city, including its many largely Arab immigrant areas.
Members of the well-known football club, Racing Club de Strasbourg, will discuss racist issues with the children.
Some supporters of the club have recently interrupted matches by daubing racist slogans on pitches.
A Strasbourg-born artist and author who lives in Cork, Mr Tomi Ungerer, will present some of his books for children which deal with the themes of racism and intolerance.
Mr Ungerer has recently been appointed the Council of Europe's first Ambassador, responsible for childhood and education. The 70-year-old is currently planning a project to have a series of bilingual children's books available in schools throughout Europe on themes dealing with respect for racial differences and the elderly.
Mr Ungerer said it was important to instill a conscience in young people through books which promote social values and introduce children to the idea of human rights.
Mrs Robinson and Mr Gunter Grass will be in the audience for Mr Ungerer's presentation and the discussion session.
Music will be performed by the Roma trio Jordan and the choir Le Chant Sacre from Strasbourg's Synagogue de la Paix.