UNESCO
2010-03-22 2:00 pm

On 19 March, UNESCO and the Spanish soccer team FC Barcelona announced the start of a joint anti-racism campaign. It will officially kick off with messages rejecting racism at FC Barcelona’s match against CA Osasuna on 24 March at Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium (Spain). Several activities will follow throughout the year, including a press conference at which FC Barcelona players will add their voices to the rejection of racism (date to be confirmed).

The campaign is a new initiative of the partnership between UNESCO and FC Barcelona concluded in November 2007. “Youth Voices Against Racism”, the previous project organised in 2008-2009 in collaboration with the European Parliament and UNESCO’s European Coalition of Cities against Racism, involved young people aged 15 to 18 in local policy-making and the design of anti-racism activities. Many of the suggestions they made will be put into practice during the new campaign.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination commemorates events on 21 March 1960, in Sharpeville, South Africa, when police opened fire and killed young students peacefully demonstrating against the apartheid "pass laws". The United Nations proclaimed the Day in 1966. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre.

Read the joint message from Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and Joan Laporta i Estruch, FC Barcelona’s President, on the launching of an Anti-racism Campaign [PDF, 149 KB]

Related Link 1 - URL http://portal.unesco.org/shs/en/ev.php-URL_ID=12319&URL;_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL;_SECTION=201.html