A/HRC/32/29 governments alone. Civil society and the private sector had key roles to play and were important partners in tackling racism and other forms of discrimination. 37. Participants pointed out that in many places racism has become institutionalized and officialized at the expense of society, with certain politicians voicing extremist views that targeted Muslims, Arabs and people of African descent, despite the fact that they had integrated into the society. To counteract this trend, participants called for social harmony, cohesion and civil stability, as well as for the implementation of justice, tolerance and dialogue in the fight against racism and related intolerance. 38. Several delegates expressed concern at the fact that, 15 years after the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, racism still represented a reality in our daily life. Incidences of racial discrimination and even violence had been witnessed over the past months in all continents and under different political environments. Beyond legislation and regulation, effective institutions, both to enforce the law and to strengthen awareness of the need to fight racial discrimination, were needed. The reality required collective solutions at the local, national, regional and international levels. 39. One delegate affirmed that a democratic system was inclusive by definition and that a system in which democratic values were only granted for a part of the population could not be recognized as a democratic system. Participants also called on the moral responsibility of the international community to take urgent action against those who were undermining democratic values and propagating extremist ideology and violent extremism. Owing to its incompatibility with democracy, all manifestations of racism must be punished through both legislation and practice. 40. The representative of an NGO echoed the concerns expressed by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Human Rights Committee about the disproportionate impact that disenfranchisement legislation had on minorities. 41. One delegate urged States to take note of the more fundamental needs, like economic, cultural and collective rights, and their role in combating extremism and racism. 42. The representative of an NGO noted that the full implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was an essential step to combating racism and promoting democracy, and expressed concern about the large number of States that had not yet submitted their initial or periodic reports by the due dates, which showed a lack of political will to combat racial discrimination. 43. In the same vein, some delegates urged States to fully and in good faith fulfil their obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, including by withdrawing their reservations and adopting legislation prohibiting any public statement inciting national or religious hatred. They called on all States to reinforce their activities against racism through both national policies and dialogue with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, as well as with other international bodies. 44. Participants urged political leaders and parties to refrain from public statements and actions that incited racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 45. Several delegates referred to new formats for the dissemination of hate speech, for example, through social networks, and pointed out that this phenomenon was difficult to control. However, technology should not be used for criminal aim but rather to promote mutual respect, equality, equity, diversity and democracy. 46. One delegate pointed to the need to prosecute those who promoted hate speech, including through the Internet. The Internet is the reflection of the real world. If States were strict with their legislation, they should be able to apply the same standards with regard to 7