UN marks Int'l Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination

The United Nations on Monday commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, calling on governments, institutions, businesses and communities to work together to safeguard the dignity, justice, equality and rights of every person, reported Xinhua.

"Racial discrimination is a violation of human rights and human dignity," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) event marking the international day.

Recalling the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 in South Africa, when police fired into a crowd peacefully protesting apartheid, killing 69 people, Guterres said: "We honor all those who have stood against racism and racial discrimination around the globe."

"It should have no place in our world, but it rears its head in schools, workplaces, and countless everyday interactions," he said, adding that "racism harms us all."

"The remedy is solidarity," the UN chief stressed, calling for urgent and concrete steps to end racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

The secretary-general expressed his determination to tackle racism in every form, from harmful interpersonal interactions to deeply ingrained institutional and systemic biases, and emphasized the importance to utilize the many tools and instruments to fight racism and discrimination so that equality and a truly shared humanity become a lived reality for all.

"Let's fight for the dignity, rights and inclusion of everyone. And together, let us vow to eradicate racism from our world," he said.

In her speech, UNGA President Annalena Baerbock said the international day "is about much more than Sharpeville." "It is about all of our nations and communities -- none of which are immune to the scourge of racism," she said.

Noting that racism "is a violation of human rights, a barrier to sustainable development, and a threat to peace and security," Baerbock said its consequences "extend far beyond individuals."

She called on the international community to act and take a firm stand against discrimination "whenever and wherever it appears," as the struggle against discrimination in all its forms, including racism, "is never finished."

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action provide a comprehensive global framework to confront racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, and that many countries have adopted anti-discrimination laws and created independent human rights and equality institutions.

"We have made some progress on the long road towards a more just world. But we are approaching a checkpoint -- where this progress is questioned, delayed, and even pushed backwards," he said.

Turk also called for political will to fight discrimination through laws, to focus on solutions, to strengthen accountability for all forms of racial discrimination and hatred, and to work together with civil society, human rights defenders, national human rights institutions, and affected communities to find lasting solutions.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed annually on March 21 to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre, was established by the UNGA in 1966 to raise awareness and encourage global action against racism.