On behalf of Ma’onah and Geneva International Centre for Justice, Rute Belachew denounced the laws and institutions responsible for perpetuating cycles of systematic racism and discrimination.

In an oral statement at the HRC51’s General Debate Item 9, delivered on the 4th of October, she emphasised that discriminatory laws frequently target and uproot indigenous populations across the globe; such as the Maasai in Eastern Africa and First Nations people in North and South America. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, persecution and house demolition have devastated families for decades. 

The joint statement also highlighted how the harmful extraction practices of the technological sector continue to receive governmental support. Extractions of resources, like lithium and cobalt, destroy their ecosystems and harm indigenous peoples’ capacity to cultivate crops for sustenance until they are eventually displaced.

The two organisations, Ma'onah and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ), called on nations to reevaluate laws that enable for the ongoing oppression of indigenous peoples. Lastly, Rute urged states to implement comprehensive legislative frameworks in accordance with the Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA).

HRC51, racism, discriminations, oppression, indigenous peoples, Maasai, Palestine, Geneva International Centre for Justice, Geneva4Justice, GICJ