Introduction
Historical Background
At its forty-ninth session, the Commission on Human Rights appointed, in resolution 1993/20, a Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia and related intolerance. By its resolution 1994/64 of 9 February 1994, the Commission on Human Rights further defined the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. On 28 March 2008, the Human Rights extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a further period of three years.
Mandate
The Special Rapporteur has been mandated by the Human Rights Council resolution 7/34 to focus on a number of issues, listed here.
On 25 March 2011, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 16/33 which extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a further period of three years in accordance with the terms of reference contained in Human Rights Council resolution.
Working methods
In the discharge of his mandate the Special Rapporteur:
a) Transmits urgent appeals and communications to States on alleged violations regarding contemporary forms of racism, discrimination based on race, xenophobia and related intolerance to the State concerned, in order to induce the national authority to undertake the necessary investigations of all the incidents or individual cases reported. (See Individual Complaints).
b) Undertakes fact-finding country visits.
c) Submits annual reports on the activities foreseen by the mandate to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.