The Commissionon Human Rights held a special meeting today in the Council Chamber of the Palais des Nations at Geneva to take note of the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In 1966, the General Assembly decided to commemorate this day which marks the anniversary of the tragic shootings at Sharpesville in the Republic of South Africa where numerous peaceful demonstrators met their deaths. Along with members of the Commission, others participated in the special meeting. They included Representatives of the Specialised Agencies, non-Governmental Organizations and heads of missions accredited to the Office of the United Nations at Geneva.
A partial view of the meeting.

The Commissionon Human Rights held a special meeting today in the Council Chamber of the Palais des Nations at Geneva to take note of the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In 1966, the General Assembly decided to commemorate this day which marks the anniversary of the tragic shootings at Sharpesville in the Republic of South Africa where numerous peaceful demonstrators met their deaths. Along with members of the Commission, others participated in the special meeting. They included Representatives of the Specialised Agencies, non-Governmental Organizations and heads of missions accredited to the Office of the United Nations at Geneva.
A general view of the meeting.

The Trusteeship Council Chamber is located in the Conference building, the link connecting the Assembly Hall with the Secretariat building. The Chamber was furnished by Denmark and designed by Finn Juhl, a Dane. Against one wall is a nine-foot statue of a woman with arms upraised, carved from teak by Henrik Starcke, also of Denmark.
A general view of the Trusteeship Council Chamber as the Special Committee on Apartheid met this morning in special session to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The Special Committee on Apartheid met this morning in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Statements were made on behalf of the UN Council for Namibia, the Committee of Trustees of the UN Fund for South Africa and the Special Committee of 24 on decolonization, as well as by the Representatives of the Ivory Coast, on behaf of the African Group; Byelorussia on behalf of the Eastern European countries; and the Ukraine, Somalia, Nepal, the Philippines, Guinea, Haiti and New Zealand. The Vice-Chairman of the Special Committee on Apartheid also made a statement at today's annual observance.

The Special Committee against Apartheid held a special solemn meeting this morning in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. All Permanent Missions had been invited to attend the meeting, along with representatives of non-Member States, the specialized agencies and other organizations in the UN family, and the two Southern African movements - the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC) and the Panafricanist Congress of Azania (PAC). The General-Assembly decided in 1966 to proclaim the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in order to commemorate the incident at Sharpeville, South Africa, on 21 March 1960 in which 69 demonstrators against pass laws under the apartheid system were shot killed and 180 others wounded.
A general view of the Special Committee against Apartheid as it commemorated the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination.