Government and civil society organisations have adopted a Declaration which seeks to foster an understanding of the plight of immigrants and educate foreign nationals about their rights in host countries.

The Declaration, emerging from the Social Dialogue on the Promotion of Tolerance Through Diversity, was adopted on Tuesday by faith-based organisations, academics, politicians and community representatives including foreign nationals as well as government departments.

It aims to implement strategic and practical measures to fight the attacks against foreign nationals as well as ensure that an environment exists where strong relations and trust can be forged between the immigrant communities and locals in their respective communities.

The Declaration was signed at the end of the two-day Dialogue hosted by Home Affairs Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

The gathering provided a platform for delegates to deliberate on the recent attacks on people from other countries and identify preventative measures that will contribute towards the peaceful co-existence of all who live in South Africa.

The Declaration stated a commitment to eradicate all manifestations of violence, xenophobia, racism, racial discrimination and related intolerance towards migrants and foreign nationals in the country in accordance with the provisions of the Final Declaration of the World Conference on Xenophobia, Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Intolerance.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, by adopting the Declaration, delegates committed to intensifying public education and awareness about the challenges and extent of international migration as well as the rights and responsibilities of migrants.

They also committed to embark on a campaign to nurture an appreciation for the contribution foreign nationals make towards economic development as well as cultural diversity.

The dialogue agreed that foreign nationals also needed to be educated about their rights and responsibilities in host countries so that they adhered to the rule of law.

The department said there was a need to strengthen stakeholder partnerships to ensure that the management of migration is not confined to government alone.

The minister said the Declaration was only the beginning of a long process of addressing the attacks on foreign nationals.

She said it was now important to involve all government departments and provincial and local governments in the Declaration in order for them to take forward all matters raised at this social dialogue.

A follow-up conference to the dialogue, the World Conference on Xenophobia, Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Intolerance, is scheduled to take place next year