UN General Assembly
1969

100. Our representatives are still participating actively in this work of codification; and I am happy to announce to the Assembly that the French Government has decided to request Parliament to authorize France’s accession to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination [resolution 2106 A (XX)] an instrument which should be one of the pillars of the new international law. For many years we have striven to respect both its letter and its spirit. 101. We consider that this gesture by France manifests the importance that we attach to the studies and efforts undertaken by the United Nations. We know full well, however, that in the promotion of human rights and the fundamental freedoms, in the struggle against intolerance and discrimination, to create the appropriate international instruments is not enough. We must still be, at all times, determined to apply them to their fullest extent. 102. If we celebrate principles and anniversaries too much without clear evidence of progress, we risk disappointing a generation which is not content with words but expects our