Intersessional high-level panel discussion on the incompatibility between racism pursuant to HRC 53/21

26 August 2025

Statement of Association Ma’onah for Human Rights and Immigration 

Delivered by Rose Chiara Atieno

Thank you,

At its epicentre, democracy is built on the belief that all people are equal, with equal voice, equal value, and equal rights under the law. Racism directly opposes this. It is an evil concept that already exceeds personal bias and is deeply entrenched in political systems thus distorting said systems to further encourage inequality.  In highlighting that these two concepts cannot co-exist in the same sphere, we as an international community must enhance our actions in combating racism. In the two years following the establishment of this resolution, the world continues to see a rise in racism and hate driven crime.

Extremely racist rhetoric continues to be pushed across different platforms to which people of colour are continuously reduced to less than human. Political and prominent voices in the world, mirror these rhetoric and further spew hate towards different marginalised groups fostering an atmosphere where racism is tolerated and to an extent, accepted. How many lives need to be lost because of racism? How many people can this community afford to lose before states properly address this issue?

Therefore, Ma’onah and Geneva International Centre for Justice call on states, their representatives, and stakeholders, to ensure states uphold the good practices of DDPA and address the issues of racism. We remind that as reiterated by resolution 29/20, racism and the deliberate dehumanising of people fundamentally contradicts the principles of human rights accordingly.

Thank yoou