1.2 International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination
The phenomenon of racial discrimination was one of the concerns behind the establishment of the United Nations and has therefore been one of its major areas of attention. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted by the General Assembly in 1965 and entered into force in 1969.
Article 1 of  the Convention defines the terms “racial discrimination” as:
“any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin with the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights in any field of public life, including political, economic, social or cultural life”.
It is notable that this definition encompasses a much wider range of grounds on which discrimination can take place than that commonly referred to as “race”. It is also significant that the definition includes the language “purpose