(August 29, Geneva , Sri Lanka Guardian)

Upon recommendation by the Ambassador/Permanent Representative of China , the Asian Group Co-ordinator, the Asian Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council has appointed Sri Lanka ’s Ambassador Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka as the facilitator to negotiate an outcome document of the Asian Region, as a contribution to the preparatory process of the Durban Review Conference.

The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance was held in Durban , South Africa in 2001 and produced the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which provided an important new framework for combating racism and intolerance with a wide range of action-oriented measures.

The Review Conference of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action has been scheduled to be held in Geneva , Switzerland from 20-24 April 2009 to evaluate progress towards the goals set by the 2001 World Conference. For this purpose Regional Groups are requested to contribute by providing inputs to the above Review Conference.

Against this backdrop Ambassador Jayatilleka has been appointed as Facilitator by the Asian Group to negotiate an outcome document of the Asian Region in order to provide inputs from the Asian Region to the above Review Conference.

Latin America and African Regions already had their Regional Meetings in Brasilia and Abuja respectively and had prepared their inputs to the above Review Conference.

- Sri Lanka Guardian