RESOLUTIONS ON APARTHEID AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN SOUTH AFRICA ADOPTED BY CONFERENCES OF AFRICAN STATES, 1958-1963

Resolution of the Conference of Independent African States, Accra, April 21, 1958

The Conference of Independent African States,

Considering that the practice of racial discrimination and segregation is evil and inhuman,

Deeply convinced that racialism is a negation of the basic principles of human rights and dignity to the extent where it is becoming an element of such explosiveness which is spreading its poisonous influence more and more widely in some parts of Africa that it may well engulf our Continent in violence and bloodshed,

Noting with abhorrence the recent statement made by the head of the South African Government on his re-election to the effect that he will pursue a more relentless policy of discrimination and persecution of the coloured people in South Africa,

Condemns the practice of racial discrimination and segregation in all its aspects all over the world, especially in the Union of South Africa, in the Central African Federation, Kenya and in other parts of Africa;
Appeals to the religious bodies and spiritual leaders of the world to support all efforts directed towards the eradication of racialism and segregation;
Calls upon all members of the United Nations and all peoples of the world to associate themselves with the resolutions passed by the United Nations and the Bandung Conference condemning this inhuman practice;
Calls upon all members of the United Nations to intensify their efforts to combat and eradicate this degrading form of injustice;
Recommends that all participating Governments should take vigorous measures to eradicate where they arise vestiges of racial discrimination in their respective countries.

Resolution of Conference of Foreign Ministers of Independent African States, Monrovia, August 8, 1959

The Conference of Independent African States,

Deeply convinced that the practice of racial discrimination and segregation is evil and inhuman and diametrically opposed to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

Considering that racialism is a threat to international peace and security wherever it is practised,

Noting with concern the relentless manner in which the Government of South Africa is putting into practice its apartheid policy,

Condemns the practice of racial discrimination and segregation in all of its aspects all over the world, especially in the Union of South Africa, in the Central African Federation, in Kenya and in other parts of Africa;
Calls upon all members of the United Nations and all peoples of the world to associate themselves with the resolutions passed by the United Nations and the Bandung and Accra Conferences condemning this inhuman practice;
Recommends that the different Governments take such measures as to contribute effectively to persuade the Union of South Africa to implement the resolutions of the United Nations on racial questions.

Resolution adopted by the Second Conference of Independent African States, Addis Ababa, June 24, 1960

The Conference of Independent African States meeting in Addis Ababa,

Having learned with indignation of the death of many African political leaders in the prisons of the Union of South Africa, thus adding to the already long list of victims of the shameful policy of racial discrimination,

Recalling the resolution No. 1375 (XIV), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, condemning the policy of apartheid and racial discrimination practised by the Government of the Union of South Africa,

Recalling further the Security Council's resolution of April 1, 1960, recognizing the existence of a situation in South Africa which, if continued, might endanger international peace and security;

Reaffirming the declaration of Bandung and the resolutions adopted at Accra and Monrovia regarding this shameful policy,

Noting that, despite world opinion and the resolutions adopted by the United Nations, the Government of the Union of South Africa still persists in its evil policy of apartheid and racial discrimination,

Desires to pay homage to all victims of the shameful policy of apartheid and racial discrimination;
Decides to assist the victims of racial discrimination and furnish them with all the means necessary to attain their political objectives of liberty and democracy;
Calls upon Member States to sever diplomatic relations or refrain from establishing diplomatic relations, as the case may be, to close African ports to all vessels flying the South African flag, to enact legislation prohibiting their ships from entering South African ports, to boycott all South African goods, to refuse landing and passage facilities to all aircrafts belonging to the Government and companies registered under the laws of the Union of South Africa and to prohibit all South African aircraft from flying over the air-space of the Independent African States;
Invites the Arab States to approach all petroleum companies with a view to preventing Arab oil from being sold to the Union of South Africa and recommends that the African States refuse any concession to any company which continues to sell petroleum to the Union of South Africa;
Invites the Independent African States which are members of the British Commonwealth to take all possible steps to secure the exclusion of the Union of South Africa from the British Commonwealth;
Recommends that appropriate measures be taken by the United Nations in accordance with Article 41 of the Charter;
Appeals to world public opinion to persevere in the effort to put an end to the terrible situation caused by apartheid and racial discrimination;
Decides to instruct the Informal Permanent Machinery to take all steps necessary to secure that effect shall be given to the above recommendations and to furnish full information on cases of racial discrimination in the Union of South Africa, so that the outside world may be correctly informed about such practices.

Resolution of the Conference of African States, Casablanca, January 7, 1961

The Casablanca Conference,

Recalling the resolutions of the United Nations Organisation which denounced the apartheid policy and the racial discrimination practised by the Government of the Union of South Africa, and

Recalling in particular the resolution of the Security Council of the 1st of April 1960, which considers the policy of racial discrimination pursued by the Government of the Union of South Africa as a threat to world peace and security,

Denounces the Government of the Union of South Africa for its contempt of the decisions taken by the United Nations Organisation and by the African and Asian Conferences and condemns its obstinacy in pursuing a policy which affects human dignity and constitutes a fragrant violation of human rights;
Denounces the imperialist Powers who continue to lend moral, political and military support to the racialist Government of the Union of South Africa;
Reaffirms and undertakes to implement the decisions taken at the Bandung, Accra, Monrovia and Addis Ababa conferences on this subject and urges all African States to implement these decisions;
Calls upon the United Nations Organisation to invoke the sanctions provided for in Articles 40 and 41 of the United Nations Charter should the Government of the Union of South Africa not put an end to its policy of racial discrimination.

Resolution of the Conference of African and Malagasy States, Monrovia, May 1961

The Conference, as regards the Union of South Africa,

Condemns unreservedly the theory and practice of apartheid by the Government of the Union of South Africa;

Calls on all African and Malagasy States to apply immediately political and economic sanctions, collectively and individually, against the Government of the Union of South Africa, not only to demonstrate our resentment of the ruthless degradation of the non-whites there, but also ultimately to compel the Government of the Union of South Africa to abandon the iniquitous practice of apartheid;

Calls on all African and Malagasy States to take all necessary steps to give all material and moral support to the Africans and Asians of South Africa in their struggle to regain the stature of man;

Affirms that all the participating African States strongly support the reiterated decision of the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations that the Government of the Union of South Africa must acknowledge the authority of the Council as guardian of the mandate over the Territory of South West Africa.

Resolution of the Conference of Heads of African and Malagasy States and Governments, Lagos, January 30, 1962

[The Conference adopted a resolution reaffirming the resolution adopted in Monrovia in May 1961.]

Resolution of the Conference of Heads of African States and Governments, Addis Ababa, May 25, 1963

The Summit Conference of Independent African States meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 22 May to 25 May 1963

Having considered all aspects of the questions of apartheid and racial discrimination,

Unanimously convinced of the imperious and urgent necessity of coordinating and intensifying their efforts to put an end to the South African Government's criminal policy of apartheid and wipe out racial discrimination in all its forms,

Have agreed unanimously to concert and coordinate their efforts and action in this field, and to this end have decided on the following measures:

To grant scholarships, educational facilities and possibilities of employment in African government service to refugees from South Africa;
To support the recommendations presented to the Security Council and the General Assembly by the Special Committee of the United Nations on the apartheid policies of the South African Government;
To despatch a delegation of Foreign Ministers to inform the Security Council of the explosive situation existing in South Africa. (The Conference has decided the members of the delegation to be: Liberia, Tunisia, Madagascar and Sierra Leone);
To coordinate concerted measures of sanction against the Government of south Africa;
Appeals to all States, and more particularly to those which have traditional relations and cooperate with the Government of South Africa, to strictly apply United Nations resolution 1761 (XVII) of 6 November 1962 concerning apartheid;
Appeals to all Governments who still have diplomatic, consular and economic relations with the Government of South Africa to break off those relations and to cease any other form of encouragement for the policy of apartheid,
Stresses the great responsibility incurred by the colonial authorities administering territories neighbouring South Africa in the pursuit of the policy of apartheid,
Condemns racial discrimination in all its forms in Africa and all over the world,
Expresses the deep concern aroused in all African peoples and Governments by the measures of racial discrimination taken against communities of African origin living outside the continent and particularly in the United States of America; Expresses appreciation for the efforts of the Federal Government of the United States of America to put an end to these intolerable mal-practices which are likely seriously to deteriorate relations between the African peoples and Governments on the one hand and the people and Government of the United States of America on the other.