Note: A complete summary of today’s General Assembly Plenary meetings will be made available after their conclusion.
Opening Remarks
ABDULLA SHAHID (Maldives), President of the General Assembly, recalled that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action was adopted in 2001 with the emphasis on tackling racial discrimination and intolerance. Sadly, two decades later, that doctrine is still being pursued, he said. That is not to say, however, that the instrument has failed, but rather that the global community has not done enough to tackle the pervasiveness of racism, racial discrimination, intolerance, and xenophobia, he added. The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action is a comprehensive toolkit for addressing racism, he affirmed, citing its various victims – such as Africans and people of African descent, Asians and people of Asian descent, indigenous peoples, minorities, youth, women and children.
The chosen theme, “Reparations, racial justice and equality for people of African descent”, is very timely, he continued. The Maldives presidency of the Assembly’s seventy‑sixth session will include five rays of hope, one of which is specifically focused on human rights and addressing racism in all its forms, he said, emphasizing that, with human rights as a founding pillar of the United Nations, Member States must never lose sight of that core principle. Like so much else, “the global pandemic has exacerbated underlying conditions and exposed fault lines,” he noted, adding: “The same holds true for racism.” He described the present moment in time as a turning point, declaring, “let us turn the tide on racism and intolerance”, and stressing the need to “leave no one behind”. He went on to underline the importance of acknowledging the past, whether in the form of a formal apology or by other means. It is important to acknowledge what has happened, he reiterated. “You cannot move past what is not addressed.”
ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, Secretary-General of the United Nations, recalled that, at the dawn of the present century, world leaders and human rights advocates journeyed to Durban determined to banish the hatred and prejudice that disfigured previous centuries. That journey for equality and justice did not begin in Durban, he said, noting that the path was paved by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and followed in the footsteps of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Today, the twentieth anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action offers an important opportunity to reflect on the current status and the way forward, he said. Racism and racial discrimination still permeate institutions, social structures and everyday life in every society, he emphasized, pointing out that structural racism and systematic injustice still deny people their fundamental human rights. He went on to warn against the troubling rise in anti‑Semitism, growing anti‑Muslim bigotry, the mistreatment of minority Christians and other forms of intolerance around the world.
Scanning the global landscape today, something more hopeful has come into view, he said, pointing to the movement for racial justice and equality that has emerged with unprecedented force, reach and impact. That new awakening — often led by women and young people — has created momentum to be seized, he stressed, calling upon every Member State to take concrete actions – including through policy measures, legislation and more granular data collection – in support of all such efforts at the national and global levels. The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action was meant to break the vicious cycle in which discrimination leads to deprivation, and poverty deepens discrimination, he noted. Quoting the words of Nelson Mandela, he said: “No one is born a racist. People must learn to hate. But if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
MICHELLE BACHELET, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, recalled that eliminating violations of human dignity and human rights was a matter of immediate urgency 20 years ago. Today, however, many groups continue to suffer discrimination and marginalization. “It is vital that we rise above past controversies” and unite to combat racism and related intolerance in today’s world, she emphasized. Citing recent strides forward, she pointed to the operationalization of the new United Nations Permanent Forum on Peoples of African Descent, as well as the new four‑point agenda of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for transformative change on racial justice and equality.
However, the legacy of colonialization and enslavement continues to have real and lasting consequences, she stressed. They must be addressed by providing broad‑based reparations, by formal acknowledgement of and apologies for past harms, and by implementing educational reforms and other systemic measures. “These efforts must go beyond symbolism”, and should have real impacts, she said. As the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action recognizes, international cooperation is also needed to increase opportunities for trade, economic growth and sustainable development. “We are at an important juncture to take the anti‑racism agenda forward,” she stressed, calling for comprehensive and collaborative action as well as greater attention to the intersectional forms of racism faced by many people around the world. She went on to pledge that her office will continue to support domestic and international action to those ends.
MATAMELA CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, President of South Africa, recalled that it was 20 years ago when the world adopted the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and 25 years since his country’s people adopted a democratic constitution. That charter calls upon South Africans to build a society based on social justice and fundamental human rights, with a view to correcting the past injustices, he said. Describing slavery as one of the darkest periods in the history of humankind and a crime of unparalleled barbarity, he noted that its legacy persists in the Americas, Caribbean, Europe, Middle East and in Africa itself. Millions of the descendants of Africans who were sold into slavery remain trapped in underdevelopment, disadvantage, discrimination and poverty, he pointed out. South Africa calls upon the United Nations to place the issue of reparations for victims of the slave trade on its agenda, he said, expressing support for such special measures as affirmative action programmes and targeted financial assistance, as well as for increasing representation of people of African descent in global institutions and in positions of leadership. “Ending racism is a fight in which each of us has a stake,” he emphasized. “We are called upon by history to redouble our efforts to build a world free of racism, to right the wrongs of the past and to restore the human dignity of all.”
FÉLIX-ANTOINE TSHISEKEDI TSHILOMBO, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, spoke on behalf of the African Group, saying that, despite the progress made in the last two decades, much remains to be done. Africans, and those in the African diaspora, continue to face serious challenges that have only been exacerbated by rising intolerance as well as the coronavirus pandemic, he said. “Some countries have more than enough vaccines, while others, including ours … only have access to a small quantity,” he said, emphasizing that such disparities reveal the stark inequalities that still exist between the world’s peoples. Emphasizing the need for greater efforts to accelerate implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, he welcomed efforts by Member States that have implemented progressive laws to combat racism, xenophobia, racial discrimination and related intolerance.
He went on to praise the recent creation of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, saying it will serve as a platform for improving safety and quality of life for persons of African descent around the globe. Recalling that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals envisage universal rights as well as respect for cultural diversity, he said that empowering individuals and ensuring their inclusion in all walks of life is a responsibility for all. Violations that occur must be condemned and prevented from happening again, he emphasized. States must also ensure that individuals have access to housing, quality education and appropriate channels for justice and reparations, he added, also calling for the cancellation of debt.
ABDALLAH Y. AL-MOUALLIMI (Saudi Arabia), speaking on behalf of the Asia‑Pacific Group, said the Political Declaration reflects the international community’s common and unwavering interest. Noting that the 2021 text is a continuation of the framework adopted in 2001 at the World Conference against Racism in South Africa, he said it acknowledges that racism remains a global concern and its eradication requires a redoubling of international efforts. The text also emphasizes the significance and value of indigenous peoples’ contributions to the global political, economic, social and cultural development of societies, he said. “Today, we recognize the importance of achieving justice and equal opportunities for all people, as well as ensuring the enjoyment of their rights, including the right to development and the right to self‑determination, and the right to live in peace and freedom,” he added, reaffirming the importance of spreading a culture of peace and dialogue among civilizations. The Asia‑Pacific States proclaim a shared determination to make the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, as well as the protection of victims, a top priority, he stressed.
CRISTIAN ESPINOSA CAÑIZARES (Ecuador) spoke on behalf of the Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries, noting that the General Assembly recently decided to establish the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent as a platform for improving the safety and quality of life and livelihoods of such people, and in recognition that they have for centuries been victims of racism, racial discrimination, enslavement and the denial of many of their rights. The Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries member States have been supportive of such initiatives and have actively participated in efforts to promote the goals and objectives of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, he said. Pointing out that many countries of the region are made up of multi‑ethnic, multicultural and multilingual populations, he said they are composed of a mosaic of peoples who migrated from all ethnic origins on the planet. The diversity is their strength, he emphasized, calling upon Member States to uphold human dignity and equality for the victims of slavery, the slave trade and colonialism, in particular people of African descent in the African diaspora.
BARRYL A. BIEKMAN, Coordinator of the Monitoring Working Group on the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and People of African Descent at Tiye International and Chair of the African European Women’s Movement “Sophiedela”, provided a civil society perspective. Recalling her participation in the adoption of the Durban Declaration 20 years ago, she said the event was marked by a “spirit of solidarity which gave voice to and protected the rights of all victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms [of intolerance]”. Among other things, she added, the Declaration recognized the transatlantic slave trade suffered by people of African descent as a crime against humanity. “Truth has the inherent power to produce the promised effect,” she noted in that regard, emphasizing that the fight against racism today will only be successful “if we do what we have promised”. She went on to describe the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as the strongest universal document aimed at realizing the rights of all victims of racism, with an intersectional perspective.
Drawing attention to the persistent, negative structural campaign to defame and undermine the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, she stressed that without the framework the world would lack a clear path to a global platform tasked with recognizing the still unrealized rights of Africans and people of African descent. “Our position is crystal clear – we will not accept any denial of the [Durban Declaration] … and neither shall we settle for anything less than our birthright and our human rights.” She went on to note that defamation of the Durban Declaration has escalated to the extreme in recent years. “We wonder why no senior official of the United Nations has stood up and spoken out against the disinformation and false propaganda against the [Declaration and Programme of Action] that has preceded the anniversary, and now caused the absence of different countries, including mine, from the commemoration,” she said, referring to the Netherlands. She went on to underscore the need for accelerated implementation, recognition of the demands of people of African descent “past and present”, as well as immediate reparations.
