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Oral Statements

HRC57: EAFORD and GICJ Call for Action to Combat Racism and Ensure Justice for People of African Descent

The 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

9 September – 11 October 2024

Item 9: Enhanced ID with HC and International Independent Expert Mechanism to advance racial justice and equality in law enforcement

2 October 2024

Statement of the International Organisation for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD) and the Geneva International Center for Justice

Delivered by Adam Seymour

Thank you, Mr. Vice President.

We extend our gratitude to the Independent Experts for their detailed reports. We acknowledge the critical issue of racial discrimination against Africans and people of African descent and the urgent need for concrete steps to ensure access to justice, accountability, and redress for the excessive use of force by law enforcement officers.

Despite various international efforts, systemic problems persist. We are deeply concerned by widespread reports of racial profiling, harassment, verbal abuse, and discriminatory and unjustified stop-and-search checks.

Additionally, the systemic racism faced today by Africans and people of African descent is deeply affected by intersectionality, where discrimination is compounded by one or more of their identities— whether based on sex, gender, nationality, disability, religion, or socioeconomic status. Women and girls of African descent face compounded discrimination due to both their race and gender.

The International Organisation for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD) calls for further independent civilian oversight bodies to reduce racial profiling and ensure accountability. We urge all nations, and I repeat, all nations, especially developed ones like the United States and the United Kingdom, in order to move forward and adopt measures and set a global example. We further urge states to fully implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2001), which emphasise the protection of national, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic particularly for minority groups.

We thank you.

#GICJ #Geneva4Justice #GenevaInternationalCentreforJustice #HRC57 #HumanRights #IHL #nonstateactors #unitednations #geneva #justice #viral

 HRC57: EAFORD and GICJ Call for Action to Combat Racism and Ensure Justice for People of African Descent
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The 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

9 September – 11 October 2024

Item 9: Enhanced ID with HC and International Independent Expert Mechanism to advance racial justice and equality in law enforcement

2 October 2024

Statement of the International Organisation for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD) and the Geneva International Center for Justice

Delivered by Adam Seymour

Thank you, Mr. Vice President.

We extend our gratitude to the Independent Experts for their detailed reports. We acknowledge the critical issue of racial discrimination against Africans and people of African descent and the urgent need for concrete steps to ensure access to justice, accountability, and redress for the excessive use of force by law enforcement officers.

Despite various international efforts, systemic problems persist. We are deeply concerned by widespread reports of racial profiling, harassment, verbal abuse, and discriminatory and unjustified stop-and-search checks.

Additionally, the systemic racism faced today by Africans and people of African descent is deeply affected by intersectionality, where discrimination is compounded by one or more of their identities— whether based on sex, gender, nationality, disability, religion, or socioeconomic status. Women and girls of African descent face compounded discrimination due to both their race and gender.

The International Organisation for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD) calls for further independent civilian oversight bodies to reduce racial profiling and ensure accountability. We urge all nations, and I repeat, all nations, especially developed ones like the United States and the United Kingdom, in order to move forward and adopt measures and set a global example. We further urge states to fully implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2001), which emphasise the protection of national, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic particularly for minority groups.

We thank you.

#GICJ #Geneva4Justice #GenevaInternationalCentreforJustice #HRC57 #HumanRights #IHL #nonstateactors #unitednations #geneva #justice #viral

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