At Permanent Forum on African Descent, Türk urges strong action against racism and other colonial legacies

Madam Chair,
Members of the Permanent Forum,
Colleagues and friends,

I am delighted to be speaking with you this afternoon. I returned this morning from an important mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is why I could not be with you earlier. I felt it was critical to draw international attention to the immense suffering of people in the east of the country who have been battered by cycles of conflict, displacement and despair.

I take this opportunity to congratulate you, Ambassador Dr. June Soomer, on your appointment as the new Chair of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, and thank you Madam Epsy Campbell Barr for your leadership as the previous Chair.

It is wonderful to see such diverse and vocal participation by people of African descent from all around the world.

I cannot overstate the importance of this broad-based Permanent Forum, which you have called for, to draw activists of African descent together with States to devise comprehensive action to eliminate racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

To those of you who bring your lived experiences, knowledge and expertise to these discussions: your contributions to the anti-racism movement are reverberating around the world. They are exposing the magnitude of the challenges that are inflicted on people of African descent – notably women, young people, LGBTQ+ people and migrants.

By bringing to light your initiatives and ideas for ways to eliminate systemic racism – and its pernicious intersections with other forms of discrimination – this Forum is also opening up new paths for profound change.

I thank all of you for your determination and your vision.

My Office stands with you in this struggle for justice.

As Coordinator of the International Decade for People of African Descent, I add my voice to your call for States to proclaim a second decade, so we can build on the gains made so far, and address the many ongoing challenges.

I join your demands for action – now.

Centuries of enslavement, trafficking and colonial oppression of people of African descent have shaped and fuelled today's systemic racism and racial discrimination.

Other forms of oppression are also rooted in this terrible legacy.

Over the last few days, travelling in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has been evident to me that the unprincipled exploitation of the country's remarkable natural resources is at the root of many of its conflicts. Exploitative economic initiatives impoverish the local population, rather than benefiting them – and these abuses stem in part from a long history of atrocious human rights violations.

The Government, business actors, regional and international powers have obligations to effect real change in many respects – and all of us have to question our own responsibilities. The mobile phone that is in my pocket, and your pocket, is very probably sourced to the resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and we cannot continue to consume at the expense of the human rights of the Congolese people.

In this light, I welcome the discussions that have been taking place here about the devastating situation in Haiti. I deeply hope that we are at a turning point for this country, which so valiantly led the fight against enslavement and colonialism.

When we talk about the roots of the human rights movement, we always hear about the French and the American revolutions. We hardly ever hear about the Haitian revolution which was a human rights revolution, over two hundred years ago. It is really important to remember that.

So, we must seek justice. We must effect change. And a great deal of work must be done.

Addressing the legacy of enslavement and colonial exploitation is key to our Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality, in its call on States to deliver reparatory justice.

That justice must be guided by the perspectives of people of African descent, notably women. It must be a comprehensive approach, embracing truth-seeking; acknowledgement and apologies; memorialization; compensation; and institutional and educational reforms.

Many initiatives are underway, at the local, national, regional and international levels.

They include efforts by people of African descent to seek reparations through litigation – for example in the United States – against corporations and local government authorities.

Indeed, calls for pursuing judicial avenues, including at the international level, are becoming more frequent – and have also been raised here.

As many of you will be aware, the African Union agreed to explore legal and judicial options for reparations at last year’s Accra Reparations Conference.

This growing momentum in pursuit of reparatory justice – and the pathways available – were at the forefront of my mind as I was reading Philippe Sands’ book about the legal campaign led by people of African descent from the Chagos Islands, an entire population deported between 1967 and 1973.

That campaign resulted in an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. The court concluded that the United Kingdom must bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Islands, to complete the process of decolonisation, consistent with the right of peoples to self-determination. I hope that we can soon see a resolution to the long exile endured by the Chagossians.

International law, in particular international human rights law, has the power to combat the corrosive harms inflicted by racism.

Racial discrimination is a severe violation of international human rights law; indeed, it is a rejection of its core values, our shared humanity and our equal worth.

Such violations demand full accountability, as well as concrete change.

My Office and I, as High Commissioner, are committed to supporting people of African descent and everyone standing up against racism.

We are equally committed to working constructively with States to ensure they fulfil their human rights obligations and commitments, including under the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

We have worked tirelessly to support States and others to realise the objectives of the International Decade for People of African Descent under its themes of recognition, justice and development.

Our Agenda towards transformative change, as well as a range of tools we have developed, provide guidance to Governments on confronting cultures of denial, dismantling systemic racism in all areas of life, and delivering reparatory justice.

Transformative change is long overdue. We need to see Governments put in place comprehensive measures to achieve real advances in so many areas, including those discussed in depth at this session .

People of African descent must be included in a meaningful way. We must see sustainable and equitable development that brings economic justice.

Discussions on reforming and revitalising global governance at the forthcoming Summit of the Future – which will take place in New York in September – must be informed by the recommendations of this Permanent Forum.

They include the urgent need to reform the international financial architecture so that it works for all people, including in the crucial area of debt relief, and to ensure that climate action responds to the devastating impacts suffered by communities of African descent.

On reparations, we must, finally, enter a new era. Governments must step up to show true leadership, with genuine commitments to move swiftly from words to action that will adequately address the wrongs of the past.

Madam Chair,

I commend the Permanent Forum for its powerful determination to address crucial human rights issues.

And I look forward to your conclusions and recommendations.

The outcome of your discussions at this, and previous, sessions will be instrumental in the elaboration of the United Nations Declaration on the promotion, protection, and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent.

A critical step in ensuring a more effective response to systemic racism and racial discrimination.

I urge all States and other stakeholders to engage fully in this process.

And I look forward to continuing our engagement with all of you through my Office’s anti-racism work, in pursuit of our common goal: a world which ensures freedom, dignity and justice for all.

Thank you.