UN Photo/Rick BajornasUnsplash/Rolande PG
Governments should also consider confronting past legacies of racial discrimination and delivering reparatory justice.
Governments should also consider confronting past legacies of racial discrimination and delivering reparatory justice.
Governments should also consider confronting past legacies of racial discrimination and delivering reparatory justice.
“Like a virus, racism mutates and adapts itself to different times and contexts. It is said that ‘racism is like a Cadillac, there is a new model every year’. In fact, its manifestations and symptoms may change, but the breadth of its harm remains intact,” he said.
No space for discrimination
Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the commemorative UN General Assembly meeting to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The plans, which should be in place by December, should include anti-discrimination legislation and policies informed by evidence and data. He listed steps taken so far towards fighting racial discrimination in the city. They include launching the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, and promoting diversity through the ‘Breaking Bread, Building Bonds’ programme, which brings together people from different backgrounds to share a meal and conversation. Verene A. Shepherd, Chair of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, encouraged countries to ramp up efforts at both the national and global levels. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said every country is affected by racial discrimination, which he described as a deeply damaging and pervasive abuse of human rights and dignity.
Urgent action needed
“We owe it to the Marcus Garveys, the Rosa Parkses, the Mahatma Ghandis, the Rigoberta Menchu Tums, and the Nelson Mandelas of this world – to all those who have dedicated their lives to combatting discrimination and racial violence.” General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi addresses the commemorative meeting to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Mr. Kőrösi urged countries to “work towards the fair and equal world that the UN was designed to foster”. “We should not only uphold these ideals, but transform them into reality, especially through human rights education, so that we pass the flame of our fight against racial discrimination, to the new generations,” she said. To move forward requires acknowledging the systemic nature of racial discrimination, and also that race is a social construct, she added.
Racism is a Virus sign at a Black Lives Matter protest in Montreal, Canada.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
Transform ideals into reality
The Secretary-General also outlined the UN’s own initiatives to address racism within its ranks, which include appointing a Special Adviser who leads a team that is developing anti-racism training. “Racism persists because of fear, including of losing dominance and power, and has taken contemporary expression in the rise of populism and xenophobia,” said Ilze Brands Kehris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. He said algorithms can perpetuate racial stereotypes and biases, while technology can be used to increase illegal surveillance and reinforce discriminatory practices.
Source
