Reparations ‘key to dismantling systemic racism’: UN rights chief

Speaking on Tuesday at the fifth session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, he lauded the advances in racial justice and equality that have been made over the past decades. 

These include the adoption of anti-discrimination laws, the creation of independent human rights and equality institutions and steps towards reparations. 

However, the picture for people of African descent around the world remains uneven and fragile, he said, and in some cases progress is even being pushed back. 

‘Daily realities’ of poverty, racism and AI bias

The UN rights chief pointed to daily discrimination in a wide range of situations, from the workplace, to hospitals, classrooms and encounters with law enforcement.

Poverty rates across all regions, he noted, are consistently higher among people of African descent, especially for women, young people and those already affected by other forms of discrimination. 

“Racism and dehumanising rhetoric still pervade our public institutions, communities and online platforms,” he declared, adding that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”

These daily realities are, said Mr. Türk, “the direct legacy of colonialism and enslavement.”

Steps towards racial justice and equality

© UN News/Rohit Upadhyay

He outlined three key asks for Member States going forward:

1. Anti-racism laws, policies and practices which can lay the foundation for safer, fairer, and more inclusive societies, should be adopted and enforced 
2. Young people of African descent and members of civil society should be included at all levels of decision-making
3. Momentum towards reparatory justice should be maintained

On the latter, Mr. Türk welcomed the General Assembly’s March 25 resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity and the decision by certain governments and institutions to issue apologies and return artefacts.

At the same time, he warned, “efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in some quarters. So, we need to make sure that advocacy around it is creative and firmly grounded in human rights.”

Moving forward

This year’s session of the forum is being framed as an opportunity to advance the human rights of the African diaspora. 

Panels and discussions will examine reparatory justice through the return of cultural artefacts; the human rights situation of youth of African descent; and the implications of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which remains the most comprehensive global framework for combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, 25 years on from its adoption.