Acting High Commissioner: Africans and people of African descent continue to face disproportionate and discriminatory outcomes, deaths and injuries, during encounters with law enforcement officials

Nada Al-Nashif, Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, this afternoon told the Human Rights Council that she was deeply concerned that Africans and people of African descent continued to face disproportionate and discriminatory outcomes in many countries with regular reports of deaths and injuries received during or following encounters with law enforcement officials.

Ms. Al-Nashif said comprehensive data disaggregated by race or ethnic origin was crucial, but remained scarce and was a significant impediment to tackling tangible manifestations of systematic racism. Robust measures to ensure accountability and redress for all victims and their families was also critical.

Ms. Al-Nashif was speaking in an enhanced interactive dialogue with Yvonne Mokgoro, Chairperson of the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement.

Ms. Mokgoro said racial profiling, excessive use of force, and other violations of international human rights law, during and after interactions with law enforcement officials, continued to be reported throughout the world. Africans and people of African descent continued to be discriminated against, marginalised and excluded, often due to systemic racism. It was time for States to translate their obligations and commitments into effective, actionable progress in the fight against racism.

Collette Flanagan, Founder of Mothers against Police Brutality, said she founded Mothers against Police Brutality after her only son, Clinton Allen, 25, was killed by a police officer in Dallas, Texas. Her son was unarmed on the night of 10 March 2013, when a Dallas officer shot him seven times. This officer had escaped all civil and criminal accountability for killing Clinton Allen. Of the roughly 1,000 cases of people shot to death by police officers in America annually, on average less than 1 per cent resulted in an indictment; even fewer cases produced a conviction at trial.

Jurema Wurneck, Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil, said data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum showed, in 2020, that the number of people killed by police officers hit a record of 6,416 deaths. Almost 79 per cent of victims of police lethality in that year were black. According to an Observatory, in only six states in Brazil in 2021, police killed one black person every four hours. Twenty-one years after the Durban commitment made by States, the steps taken were insufficient.

In the ensuing discussion, many speakers said the world was not yet free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. States must fulfil their obligations, as provided for in international human rights law, take comprehensive steps, make changes involving all stake holders, and make reparation to victims. Some speakers said that almost daily, more unarmed Africans and people of African descent died from excessive use of force by law enforcement authorities. Better, disaggregated data, both quantitative and qualitative research, as well as analysis were crucial to understanding how racism and racial discrimination could affect the behaviour and decision-making processes of law enforcement. There was a need to show political will and accelerate the pace of action on the fight against racism and racial discrimination if the world was to bring about a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality prevailed.

Speaking in the discussion were Finland (on behalf of a group of countries), Côte d’Ivoire on behalf of the African Group, European Union, Djibouti, Senegal, Egypt, Colombia, Afghanistan, Cuba, Venezuela, Mauritania, Russia, Namibia, China, Togo, Malaysia, Cameroon, United States, Belgium, United Nations Economic Scientific and Cultural Organization, South Africa, Portugal, Kenya, Mauritius, Malawi, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Zambia, Angola, Iran, Madagascar, Mexico, and Panama.

Also speaking were Friends World Committee for Consultation, American Civil Liberties Union, International Service for Human Rights, International Harm Reduction Association, Peace Track Initiative, Partners for Transparency, Advocates for Human Rights, Human Rights Information and Training Centre and China Society for Human Rights Studies.

The Council also heard a presentation of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and started a general debate on agenda item nine on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance: follow-up to and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

Kadra Ahmed Hassan, Permanent Representative of Djibouti to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, presenting the Committee’s report, said there had been a lack of political will to work on fulfilling the mandate of the Committee; however, despite some delays, there had been progress in its work. The work ahead was very important, and Ms. Hassan hoped that the Committee would continue to demonstrate the political will to move forward and fulfil its mandate.

In the general debate on racism, many speakers said racism, anti-Semitism and all other forms of related intolerance and hatred posed a constant and serious challenge to human rights and the dignity of every person. Hateful rhetoric led to acts of hatred, including multiple instances of attacks and violence. Sadly, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance persisted in all regions of the world, and many human beings continued to be victims of this. All should participate actively in Durban follow-up mechanisms to accelerate making changes and erasing inequalities due to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. A number of speakers said the international community should take meaningfully legislative and administrative steps to fight the growing plague of racism and racial discrimination. There was a growing need to address this scourge with increased political will, in all parts of the world, including those under occupation.

Speaking in the general debate on racism were Slovakia on behalf of a group of countries, Côte d’Ivoire on behalf of a group of African States, Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Czech Republic on behalf of the European Union, Azerbaijan on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, Palestine on behalf of the Group of Arab States, Azerbaijan on behalf of a group of countries and Russia on behalf of a group of countries.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Council concluded its general debate under agenda item eight on follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.

In the general debate on the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, many speakers said the human rights of women were violated across the world, with women suffering from a wide range of gender-specific violations. It was important to work against these violations in public and in private life. Children’s rights were human rights, and were indivisible, inter-related, and inter-dependent. Some speakers said millions across the world had been denied the right to self-determination, including in occupied areas, and the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, had the duty to oversee the fulfilment of the right to self-determination of those peoples.

Speaking in the general debate on the Vienna Declaration were Sikh Human Rights Group, iuventum e.V., Tumuku Development and Cultural Union, Jeunesse Etudiante Tamoule, Union of Northwest Human Rights Organisation, World Barua Organization, Prahar, Global Welfare Association, World Muslim Congress, Promotion du Développement Economique et Social, Association Bharathi Centre Culturel Franco-Tamoul, Association des étudiants tamouls de France, Fitilla, Synergie Feminine Pour La Paix Et Le Developpement Durable, Community Human Rights and Advocacy Centre, Platform for Youth Integration and Volunteerism, Indigenous People of Africa, Next Century Foundation Coordinating Committee, Association pour l'Intégration et le Développement Durable au Burundi, and Tamil Uzhagam.

Speaking in right of reply at the end of agenda item eight were Iran and the Russian Federation.

The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found here. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council’s fifty-first regular session can be found here.

The next meeting of the Council will be at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 4 October, when it will conclude its general debate on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The Council will then hold an interactive dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner regarding the findings of the periodic reports of the Office of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Ukraine.

General Debate on the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action

The general debate on agenda item eight on the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action started in the previous meeting and a summary can be found here and here.

General Debate

In the continued general debate, some speakers said States should implement a zero per cent tax on menstrual products, saying the “tampon tax” was a form of gender discrimination, and eliminating lateral taxes was consistent with the human right to be free from discrimination and other rights that flowed from that right. There was also a lack of menstrual instruction for young girls, often causing sickness and infections: there should be a global body creating an educational package on menstruation that was culturally sensitive and which States could access.

Women human rights defenders suffered a violation of their rights to a significant extent in many parts of the world, some speakers said. Women constituted more than 50 per cent of the world population: women who protested against the violation of basic human rights were harassed. The human rights of women were violated across the world, with women suffering from a wide range of gender-specific violations. It was important to work against these violations in public and in private life. However, some States were unbothered about increasing violence committed against women, particularly women from various national minorities, for whom violence was a daily occurrence.

A number of speakers said the understanding of children on human rights should be assessed globally and States given rankings. Children’s rights were human rights, and were indivisible, inter-related, and inter-dependent. The trauma of sexual abuse could result in life-long effects. All States should report child sexual abuse figures in order to create appropriate policies.

Some speakers said the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action said all peoples had the right to self-determination, to determine their political status, and the denial of these rights was a violation. Millions across the world had been denied that right, including in occupied areas, and the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, had the duty to oversee the fulfilment of the right to self-determination of those peoples. Public and international human rights law obliged all States to respect all human rights.

Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner and the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement

Opening Statements

NADA AL-NASHIF, Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that over the past year, measures had been undertaken to address manifestations of systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent. For example, in British Columbia, Canada, a new system was used to collect and analyse disaggregated data to identify and eliminate systemic racism in government programmes. Measures had also been taken to confront legacies of enslavement; in Colombia, the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition had held recognition forums and hearings, and carried out coexistence initiatives to raise awareness of the true experiences of Afro-Colombians. Such responses demonstrated that concrete steps to address racial discrimination could be initiated despite complex national contexts and other major global challenges. However, unless they were part of comprehensive, multi-pronged approaches, they remained insufficient to dismantle the entrenched structural racism that had existed for centuries.

Ms. Al-Nashif was deeply concerned that Africans and people of African descent continued to face disproportionate and discriminatory outcomes in many countries with regular reports of deaths and injuries received during or following encounters with law enforcement officials. Comprehensive data disaggregated by race or ethnic origin was crucial, but remained scarce and was a significant impediment to tackling tangible manifestations of systematic racism. Robust measures to ensure accountability and redress for all victims and their families was also critical.

Recently, in the United States, there had been developments, including that all four officers involved in the death of George Floyd had been sentenced in federal court, and one had been sentenced further to a guilty plea. Federal charges were also brought against officers in relation to acts allegedly resulting in the death of Breonna Taylor. The seven emblematic cases exemplified the challenges that many families of African descent faced when seeking accountability for the deaths of their relatives during or after interactions with law enforcement. Unfortunately, none of these cases had been brought to a full conclusion, with those families still seeking justice. Over the past year, the Office of the High Commissioner had advocated and worked with States and other actors to advance all four points of the agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality. The Office was further strengthening capacity on the ground through the deployment of five regional advisors on combatting racial discrimination and protection of minorities.

Justice YVONNE MOKGORO, Chairperson of the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement, said that since her appointment in December 2021, over 15 consultations had been held with a wide variety of stakeholders, including States, United Nations human rights mechanisms, United Nations agencies, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and directly affected individuals. The first country visit would soon be undertaken to Sweden in October this year, and wide-ranging consultations would be undertaken in South America. Based on the extensive stakeholder consultations held, it was observed that many States still faced serious challenges in the collection, analysis and publication of data disaggregated by race or ethnic origin.

Data collection was an essential first step to highlight the magnitude of systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent, and its manifestations in law enforcement and criminal justice. The potential that data had in bringing about positive change for law enforcement and the communities they served was immense. Documenting all policing interventions, and disclosing statistical data on the use of force had already shown a deterrent effect, and had reduced fatalities. Therefore, strengthening data collection systems to increase transparency should be a priority in criminal justice operations. The report recommended that national action plans against racism include guidelines on how to collect, analyse and publish data, disaggregated by race or ethnic origin.

Racial profiling, excessive use of force, and other violations of international human rights law, during and after interactions with law enforcement officials, continued to be reported throughout the world. Whether they were descendants of the victims of the trade in enslaved Africans or colonialism, or victims of racially discriminatory policies and systems, or migrants, Africans and people of African descent continued to be discriminated against, marginalised and excluded, often due to systemic racism. It was time for States to translate their obligations and commitments into effective, actionable progress in the fight against racism. It was essential that systemic racism, including its structural and institutional dimensions, became visible. Intersectional forms of multiple discrimination, such as that faced by women, girls, and youth of African descent, should also be shown.

Justice Mokgoro said it was imperative that States decisively reformed discriminatory institutions and systems of laws, policies, and practices, so that a new social contract could be devised, where racial equality and justice was placed at the centre of international, regional, and national agendas.

COLLETTE FLANAGAN, representing directly affected individuals, Founder of Mothers against Police Brutality, said she founded Mothers against Police Brutality after her only son, Clinton Allen, 25, was killed by a police officer in Dallas, Texas. Her son was unarmed on the night of 10 March 2013, when a Dallas officer shot him seven times. This fully armed white officer had perceived her son as a legal threat. This officer had escaped all civil and criminal accountability for killing Clinton Allen. Police in the United States fatally shot more than 7,000 people in the years 2015-2021. Of the roughly 1,000 cases of people shot to death by police officers in America annually, on average less than 1 per cent resulted in an indictment; even fewer cases produced a conviction at trial. If human rights in policing were to be elevated, then three challenges needed to be addressed: the use of deadly force; the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity; and the treatment of families and communities suffering from racial profiling, police brutality, and extrajudicial killings.

Ms. Flanagan said they could not continue to justify the use of deadly force on an officer’s perception of a threat. Many lives could be saved if the use of deadly force was based not on an officer’s perception but on the actual observable conditions at the scene. If “I feared for my life” was a shield against criminal prosecution, qualified immunity was an officer’s armour in civil court. Care must be taken of families that experienced injury and death at the hands of police, and the vast unmet human needs in communities suffering from lack of opportunity, poverty, and racism must be confronted. To end extrajudicial killings, all countries must go deeper within their struggling communities to organise a more sustained resistance. The police forces of this world were almost a world power in themselves. But those who worked to bring justice and human rights into law enforcement were a power as well. The collective power of conscience against injustice would have, as America’s greatest theologian once said, “the final word in reality”.

JUREMA WURNECK, representing directly affected individuals, Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil, said from the commitment made by the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action to the brutal murder of George Floyd and the adolescent João Pedro Matos Pinto, which occurred in the same month of May 2020, 19 years had passed. In this period, many lives could have been saved. In Brazil, police lethality rates continued to spike, breaking records year after year throughout the country. Data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum showed, in 2020, that the number of people killed by police officers hit a record of 6,416 deaths. Almost 79 per cent of victims of police lethality in that year were black. According to an Observatory, in only six states in Brazil in 2021, police killed one black person every four hours.

Twenty-one years after the Durban commitment made by the States, the steps taken were insufficient and the most glaring data was the volume of bodies of black people brutalised and killed, the volume of black women, mothers, orphans, widows, family and friends of the victims, as well as communities also brutalised. On the other hand, those who held the duty and obligation to act to ensure change had done very little. Efforts had been made here and there, national laws had been adopted, public policies had been put in place. These were dangerous times, in which those who had a duty to guarantee and enforce international human rights law, and the commitment of nations to eliminate racism, xenophobia and related intolerance established in Durban, had placed themselves in opposition to them, confronting duties and encouraging racism, persecution and violence. It was essential that those committed to the civilizing pact of human rights and the commitment to confront racism, reinforce their ability to produce change, and do more. And do it fast.

Discussion

In the discussion, speakers said the world was not yet free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Law enforcement had the duty to ensure national legislation was respected. Situations where law enforcement acted against those it had sworn to protect, especially persons in vulnerable situations, were always serious, and must be dealt with accordingly. Strengthening institutional oversight and strengthening the voices of the victims of racism, xenophobia and related intolerances was an important step. States must fulfil their obligations, as provided for in international human rights law, take comprehensive steps, make changes involving all stakeholders, and offer reparation to victims. Almost daily more unarmed Africans and people of African descent died from excessive use of force by law enforcement authorities, and far too seldom did the families of the victims manage to get justice from the criminal justice systems.

Better, disaggregated data, both quantitative and qualitative research, as well as analysis were crucial to understanding how racism and racial discrimination could affect the behaviour and decision-making processes of law enforcement. Furthermore, better data could shed more light on the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that people of African descent could face. The work done in this field by civil society organizations, researchers, academia and human rights institutions was especially valuable. Accurate and comparable data were essential in enabling policy makers to assess the scale and nature of racial discrimination. Equality data were a powerful tool in the fight against discrimination and exclusion.

Data gathering was very important, but what was particularly important was the political will of States, a speaker said. Some States continued to deny the impact and extent of racism, particularly systemic racism against persons of African descent. Speakers said there was a need to show political will and accelerate the pace of action on the fight against racism and racial discrimination if the world was to bring about a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality prevailed. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Special Procedures should continue to investigate the occurrences of discrimination and racism against persons of African descent by police forces. The Council needed to go beyond the understanding of racial discrimination as committed by individuals, and recognise it as systemic.

Concluding Remarks

JUREMA WURNECK, representing directly affected individuals, Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil, highlighted that all Member States had work to do to fight systemic racism and its inter-sectionalities. Regarding police brutality, it was important to deepen the understanding of this as a structural problem related to systemic racism. A monitoring system and process of independent investigations needed to be implemented. It was also important to implement specific protocols relating to police brutality. The involvement of civil society and the families of victims was crucial. It was important to stress that silence was not an option. States needed to highlight their commitment and honour their obligations quickly, in order to save lives.

COLLETTE FLANAGAN, representing directly affected individuals, Founder of Mothers against Police Brutality, returned to the idea of global solidarity against police brutality. Her organization did not fight along - it stood side by side with other organizations such as Amnesty International and the United Nations Anti-Racism Coalition. This was a global fight - it needed more countries to join the fight against egregious police brutality. Perhaps it was time for a new international instrument - a convention against police brutality, which would bring to light the ways that international human rights were violated by police forces. The Human Rights Council should create a working group to draft a United Nations convention on human rights and policing. Not all conventions were followed - but they served as the conscience of mankind for human rights.

Justice YVONNE MOKGORO, Chairperson of the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement, said this innovative dialogue acknowledged the paramount importance of hearing directly from affected individuals, an approach which the Mechanism would continue to adopt throughout its mandate, which also required it to cooperate with United Nations bodies which shared aspects of its mandate. It was important to not duplicate efforts. In the spirit of cooperation, the Mechanism would make recommendations each time when it submitted a report; it would also strengthen the capacity and capability of States during country visits in the context of the issues which arose in the dialogue between the Mechanism and the States visited. It would, among others, make recommendations every time it submitted a report on questions of how to close trust deficits between law enforcement and the communities they served, how to strengthen judicial oversight, how to develop alternative measures to the use of force, and how to align domestic legislation with international standards.

The recommendations that the Mechanism made would be reported to the Human Rights Council, which would take them forward to the level of the General Assembly. The Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement would also engage with States on the recommendations made. It would hopefully make an impact on the transformative change that was required on the treatment of people of African descent in the context of law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

NADA AL-NASHIF, Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on States to engage meaningfully with the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement, and take heed of the targeted recommendations that had come out. She trusted that in listening to the interventions of Ms. Wurneck and Ms. Flanagan, States were inspired and moved to action by the galvanising testimonials and reminders of the leading roles that mothers, other family members, human rights defenders and the organizations of persons of African descent globally had played to ensure that their demands were placed on national, regional and international agendas. This was vital for change.

What was needed was sustained funding, public recognition, protection and support for this work. States should listen and act upon the concerns raised by people of African descent, and take measures on the ground, including concrete measures to reverse cultures of denial, to dismantle systemic racism, to end impunity for violations by law enforcement officials, and to deliver reparatory justice. Genuine progress was within reach if States implemented far reaching and comprehensive approaches. The Office of the High Commissioner remained ready to support States, people of African descent, their organizations and other actors to expedite implementation of the agenda towards transformative change.

Presentation of Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

Report

The Council has before it of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (A/HRC/51/55).

Presentation

ADRA AHMED HASSAN, Permanent Representative of Djibouti to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Chairperson of the Committee Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, said the Ad Hoc Committee was established by the Human Rights Council in December 2006, to fill the existing gaps in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and provide new normative standards aimed at combatting all forms of contemporary racism, including incitement to racial and religious hatred. Since 2017, the Committee had been working under updated mandates, which requested the Chair-Rapporteur of the Ad Hoc Committee to ensure the commencement of the negotiations on the draft additional protocol criminalising acts of a racist and xenophobic nature.

There had been a lack of political will to work on fulfilling the mandate of the Ad Hoc Committee, said Ms. Hassan. However, despite some delays, there had been progress in its work. At the tenth session in April 2019, the Committee agreed by consensus on the commencement of negotiations of a draft additional protocol to the Convention, criminalising acts of a racist and xenophobic nature, which allowed the Committee to begin charting its way forward on the complementary standard.

The Ad Hoc Committee held the first part of its eleventh session from 6 to 13 December 2021, devoted to considering the report of the intersessional legal expert consultation on dissemination of hate speech; racial cybercrime; all contemporary forms of discrimination based on religion or belief; and preventive measures to combat racist and xenophobic discrimination. The Committee, within its mandate, interacted with the legal experts and adopted by consensus conclusions and recommendations of the eleventh session in respect to these modules. The Ad Hoc Committee’s twelfth session took place in July 2022, where the Committee heard presentations on and held discussions with invited experts on the historical impact of colonialism on the law, among others. The presentations and discussions provided context and background in support of the Committee’s work on elaborating an additional protocol.

The Committee adopted by consensus general conclusions from the contextual discussions, and at the end of the twelfth session, adopted by consensus, the conclusions and recommendations of the session. Notably, the Committee agreed that in accordance with its mandate, a group of legal experts representing different regions and legal systems be engaged and tasked to provide the Chair-Rapporteur with precise guidance and input to allow for the preparation of a Chair-Rapporteur’s document, and the Committee outlined several questions, issues and suggestions to guide this work to be undertaken by the experts.

Ms. Hassan said the work ahead was very important, and she hoped that the Ad Hoc Committee would continue to demonstrate the political will to move forward and fulfil its mandate. Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance impacted the lives of countless people, threatening the peace and development of societies around the world. It was a test of the credibility of the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, whether the Committee could summon the political will to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

General Debate on Agenda Item Nine on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Forms of Intolerance: Follow-up to and Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

In the general debate, some speakers said the Internet and new technologies had brought many ground-breaking opportunities as they connected the world; regrettably, today, the Internet and social media were increasingly revealing a darker side. Racism, anti-Semitism and all other forms of related intolerance and hatred posed a constant and serious challenge to human rights and the dignity of every person. Hateful rhetoric led to acts of hatred, including multiple instances of attacks and violence. Social media and the online world should not be abused as a space for spreading disinformation, hate, and distorted truth. They should connect, educate, help to understand and bring the international community closer to each other.

Several events had taken place over the past year that showed that sadly, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance persisted in all regions of the world, and many human beings continued to be victims of this. Some speakers were concerned about the actions of a certain small group of States to undermine the efforts to combat this scourge, saying they should cease their attacks on the Durban Declaration and show stronger political willingness to implement it. All should participate actively in Durban follow-up mechanisms to accelerate making changes and erasing inequalities due to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. There should be increased constructive commitments from all States to fight the scourge of racism both locally and internationally.

A number of speakers said the international community should take meaningfully legislative and administrative steps to fight the growing plague of racism and racial discrimination. There was a growing need to address this scourge with increased political will, in all parts of the world, including those under occupation. All States should fully and effectively implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as an international framework for countering mechanism. It was important to seriously tackle systemic racism by law enforcement and those officials who made policies in States and enacted laws, as they were increasingly right-wing, inciting hatred and abuse of others, whilst hiding behind others. One speaker said the Human Rights Council should uphold principles of non-discrimination in its work.

Link: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2022/10/afternoon-acting-high-commissioner-africans-and-people-african