World Conference for Action Against Apartheid Opens in Lagos

The World Conference for Action against Apartheid began today in Lagos, Nigeria. The Conference, being held from 22 to 26 August, brings together representatives of more than 100 Governments, including a number of Heads of State, and representatives of liberation movements, UN bodies and organizations and individuals throughout the world. The Secretary-General of the UN, Kurt Waldheim, formally opened the Conference. In addition to Secretary-General Waldheim, those addressing the opening meeting were the Head of State of Nigeria, Lieut. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo; the President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, and the President of the UN General Assembly, H. Shirley Amerasinghe (Sri Lanka). The Commissioner for External Affairs of Nigeria, Brigadier Joseph H. Garba, was elected President of the Conference by acclamation. The Conference was organized by the UN, in co-operation with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the Federal Government of Nigeria and in consultation with the South African Liberation movements - the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) - and the Non-Governmental Organizations Sub-Committee on Decolonization, Racial Discrimination and Apartheid

Seen here are Salim A. Salim (left), Chairman of the Special Committee of 24 on decolonization, and Frank O. Abdullah (Trinidad and Tobago), a member of the Committee.