Time for decisive action against racism and racial discrimination: UN experts

GENEVA – Ahead of the International Day for People of African Descent, a group of UN experts issue the following joint statement:

“On this day, we are reminded that millions of people of African descent around the world continue to be victims of systemic and structural racism and racial discrimination, in breach of the prohibition of racial discrimination as enshrined in the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and other international instruments. We condemn these human rights violations which defeat the aspirations of Ubuntu, or humanity, to which we all aspire.

With the Summit for the Future taking place in September, we are also reminded of the multipronged ecological crises facing humanity and the lack of global sustainable development, which especially affect Africans and people of African descent.

While some progress was made during the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024 to promote racial equality, we are far from ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent, including eradication of all forms of discrimination against them. It is essential that the continuing global consequences of chattel enslavement, colonialism, apartheid and genocide be fully acknowledged and that efforts towards recognition, justice, and development for people of African descent be pursued vigorously beyond 2024. We have therefore called for a second International Decade 2025-2034.

We encourage States to contribute to collective efforts to advance the elaboration of the United Nations draft declaration on the promotion, protection and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent, and ensure that it includes recognition and addresses systemic and structural racism, reparatory justice, environmental justice and digital equity.

The next International Decade requires an enhanced approach to the three pillars of the current International Decade: recognition, justice and development. This includes ensuring a greater recognition of systemic and structural racism and racial discrimination within and among countries, the pursuit of reparatory justice and greater efforts for the inclusion of people of African descent, and racial equality in all development frameworks, including the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

During the next International Decade, States must also tackle emerging challenges pertaining to environmental justice and artificial intelligence for people of African descent. They must listen to, respect, and secure the perspectives of those impacted by compounding forms of discrimination, marginalisation and violence, including women, youth, LGBTQI+ persons, persons with disabilities, displaced persons, migrants and refugees. Member States should develop and effectively implement human rights instruments, strategies, indicators, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure comprehensive recognition and address systemic and structural racism within and among countries, and the effective promotion, protection and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent. This must be embedded in the implementation of the next International Decade at the national, regional, and international levels as well as in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the formulation of a post-2030 Agenda.

The time for decisive action is now. In the coming months, States will have the opportunity through the Summit of the Future and the COP16 meetings to consider issues that are also of critical importance to people of African descent. Let us seize these opportunities that can result in meaningful change for people of African descent and the whole of humanity.”