HRW World Report 1999: South Africa: The Role of the International Community




	Human Rights Developments Defending Human Rights The Role of the International Community United Nations A U.N. regional human rights program office was launched in Pretoria in August, joining representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and of the High Commissioner for Refugees already present in South Africa. The Human Rights Institution Strengthening Project for South Africa, which began in 1997, provided technical expertise to key institutions and other assistance. The U.N. special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance visited South Africa in February 1998, in response to concerns voiced by Human Rights Watch and others about discrimination towards foreigners in South Africa. In June, South Africa presented its first report under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); it also backed the creation of an International Criminal Court at the Rome diplomatic conference. European Union The E.U. Human Rights Foundation continued to fund a number of human rights and development projects through the European Programme for Reconstruction and Development in South Africa. A second framework agreement with the European Investment Bank was finalized, providing for an ECU 375 million loan package to fund development projects. Individual E.U. members also made bilateral contributions, including to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. United States U.S. President Bill Clinton visited South Africa as one stop on his African tour in March, and called for a “new partnership” withSouth Africa, though both Mandela and Mbeki were critical of U.S. policy toward Africa. The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Program for South Africa focused on six strategic areas, including democracy and governance; the total funds made available for development assistance during 1998 were approximately R.348 million (U.S.$50 million). Relevant Human Rights Watch report: South Africa-Prohibited Persons: Abuse of Undocumented Migrants, Asylum Seekers, and Refugees in South Africa, 3/98	Angola Burundi The Democratic Republic of Congo Ethiopia Kenya Liberia Mozambique Nigeria Rwanda Sierra Leone South Africa Sudan Uganda Zambia Stop the Use of Child Soldiers Abduction and Enslavement of Ugandan Children Human Rights Causes of the Famine in Sudan


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