The 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council

General Debate on Item 9:

 Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance

Joint statement by International-Lawyers.Org and Geneva International Centre for Justice

 By Mildred Asiimwe / GICJ

The Holocaust, colonialism, the slave trade, the plight of the Palestinian people.

These are the four historical injustices mentioned in the Introduction of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. They have one common denominator: racism and intolerant ideologies that led to such humanitarian catastrophes.

Despite the progress achieved towards the eradication of racism from society, we - the global community - are still far from reaching the desired end.

Genocides that are taking place under our watch, wars fought to subdue entire populations to foreign domination, migrants attempting to flee destruction in their home countries only to find themselves enslaved in prison camps, and the hundred thousands Palestinians perishing under the unlawful occupation of their land by Israeli forces, are all stark reminders that hatred, fear of the other, and a disturbing sense of racial superiority still shapes the way states and societies perceive the world.

This is why International Lawyers and Geneva International Centre for Justice stand before you today to offer our solidarity to past and present victims of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. We urge states to teach respect, promte anti-racism, promote inclusivity and remove unconscious bias.

Thank you.