A/HRC/37/77 VII. Exchange and discussion on good practices in combating racism A. Discussion on measures undertaken to promote more inclusive societies 42. The Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, noted that his city was the centre of the civil and human rights movement in the United States, which had led to many legislative and practical changes to combat racial, gender and religious discrimination. He noted that a lot of progress had since been achieved but that this progress was placed in jeopardy by rising levels of racial and religious intolerance in the United States and all around the world. 43. Mr. Bell noted that the police were infamous for their discriminatory practices and that police officers in Birmingham, Alabama, were therefore provided with cultural training to sensitize them to cultural differences in order to prevent bias. 44. The Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva stated that although Singapore was a small country with only 5.6 million inhabitants, it was one of the most religiously, racially and culturally diverse countries in the world. Independence had been thrust upon the State in 1965, at which point it had been decided that no group of people would be favoured or disadvantaged and that everyone would share the same national identity. 45. As part of the country’s ethnic integration policy, 80 per cent of the population lived in public housing, with each public housing estate mirroring the ethnic make-up of the State. Each estate also hosted community facilities and spaces, which helped to build harmonious communities. 46. Mr. Foo further underscored that Singapore took a firm stance against racist, religious and chauvinist hatred and that it had passed and implemented various acts to deter religious and racial strife. 47. Mr. Foo reiterated the importance of nurturing racial ties, of engaging different religious leaders in discussion, and of organizing events where different groups could come together to discuss problems and come up with solutions for resolving them. 48. Benedetto Zacchiroli, President of the European Coalition of Cities against Racism, stated that his organization was a regional network of 128 cities under the umbrella of the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 49. He noted that by signing the 10-point plan of the European Coalition, mayors of those cities had committed themselves to monitoring racism in their cities and to actively combating racial discrimination. He further noted that the fight against racism in European cities was a synergistic action between multiple stakeholders, including civil society organizations, universities, the media, the private sector and opinion leaders. 50. Ms. Castilla Peon focused on the way in which local governments and cities were involved in eliminating racism. The Council had for instance collected statistical data on people’s perceptions of racism which showed that people in Mexico were not used to thinking about race as a ground for discrimination and were hence ashamed to report it. In response, the efforts of the Mexico City Council to Prevent Discrimination had been aimed at promoting the social acceptance of racism through publicity and awareness-raising in the media. It had also promoted multilingualism by translating laws and procedures into languages spoken by minorities. Mexico City had also recently adopted a new constitution, which, for the first time, made reference to the concepts of Afrodescendants, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. The Council had also worked closely with civil society organizations to allow people of African descent to maintain their cultural practices and fight for social recognition and political participation. 51. Mr. Saleem stated that the national societies of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent played a prominent role in putting thoughts about social inclusion into action. He noted that combating discrimination was high on the agenda of the International Federation of Red 7