Agenda Item 9 - Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, follow-up and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

General Debate

Statement by: International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD) and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ)

16 June 2020

Thank you Mr. President,

Despite a number of international treaties that outlaw racism and racial discrimination, including one of the most comprehensive and important documents in the Durban Declaration and Program of Action (DDPA) and its Programme of Activities, discrimination based on race in many cases across the world continues to grow and worsen in multiple facets. Moreover, many governments are reluctant to properly implement already signed and agreed on legislation and policies and instead of eliminating racism they actually perpetuate the scourge of racism with impunity.

The recent international outcry and worldwide protests against racial inequalities, police brutality against minority ethnicities, and the continuous failure of justice systems to bring the perpetrators to account and redress for the victims are testament that people are fed up and demand immediate change. Furthermore, root causes are not being addressed and at times are out right ignored. The DDPA, addresses such causes and has laid out effective strategies to achieve full and effective equality.

Mr. President,

As we welcome the result of the 17th Session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the effective implementation of the DDPA we regret that the conditions under which the meetings were held were not as constructive and successful as it could have been.

Finally, EAFORD and Geneva International Centre for Justice strongly believe that the 20th Anniversary of the DDPA will be a momentous opportunity to strengthen the Durban follow-up mechanisms as a means to combat racism and provide increased publicity and outreach of the DDPA.

• In conclusion, we urge all member states to fully implement the DDPA and to eliminate any ideology that promotes racial superiority and racial bias.

Thank you

Topics: Discrimination