Joint Oral Statement on the General Debate on Racial Discrimination

Delivered by Sabrina Ramos Sodré de Castro

Thank you,

We thank the High Commissioner, the Ad Hoc Committee and the Group of Independent Eminent Experts for their reports. Twenty five years after the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, racial discrimination persists across societies, demonstrating the need for the full implementation of its commitments.

We agree that education holds transformative potential to address the legacies of colonialism and violence, despite often perpetuating the very inequalities it should dismantle, through biased curricula and the erasure of the history and identities of people of African descent, Indigenous Peoples, and racial and ethnic minorities. Particularly, young women and girls face compounded forms of intersectional discrimination, which substantially undermines the full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In this perspective, we urge Member States to make anti-racism education mandatory at all levels, including historically informed curricula and comprehensive training for educators and public authorities in the prevention and remedy of discrimination. We further stress the importance of Member States effectively addressing racial discrimination and hate speech in virtual spaces, through strengthened monitoring, prevention and reporting national mechanisms, with special attention to the protection of youth and children.

Ultimately, we call upon Member States to recognise the gravity of these evolving forms of racial discrimination, turn commitments into measurable actions, and fully implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

We thank you.