§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who attended the 5 to 7 July European Regional Expert Group Meeting in Warsaw to assist 901W preparations for the World Conference Against Racism; what were the decisions of this meeting; and what plans he has to publicise the conference. [131395]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe meeting in Warsaw was one of a series of five Experts Fora convened by the Secretariat of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Invitees were selected from independent organisations knowledgeable in the field, rather than from Governments. The United Kingdom-based Minority Rights Group attended.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues surrounding the protection of minorities and other vulnerable groups and the strengthening of human rights capacity at national level. The meeting was not supposed to make any decisions.
These five Experts Fora are not part of the preparatory process in which United Kingdom Government officials will continue to play an active part.
Until the preparatory process is further advanced, it would be premature to commence with publicising the World Conference.