Madam President,
I have the honor to speak on behalf of a group of countries. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. While we acknowledge greatefforts made by the international community to combat racism, it remains a prolonged and arduous task to eliminate racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. We are deeply concerned about the persistence of systemic racism, racial discrimination and the increasingly serious hate crimesin some countries.
We welcome the adoption of Resolution "Promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent" at the 47th session of the Human Rights Council, the establishment of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent at the United Nations General Assembly, the convening of the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 20th anniversary of DDPA and the adoption of political declarationat the meeting. These efforts will serve as guidelines for the international community to fight systemic racism and racial discrimination and protect the rights of Africans and people of African descent, Asians and people of Asian descent and indigenous people.
Slavery, transatlantic slave trade and colonialism are one of the root causes of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and their negative impact on the enjoyment of all human rights continues to this day.We call on relevant countries to face up to history and their systemic racism and racial discrimination, and take concrete actions to fully and effectively implement DDPA and eliminate the legacies of slavery, transatlantic slave trade and colonialism, so as to achieve racial justice and equality and truly promote and protect human rights.
Thank you, Madam President.
China, Algeria, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Bolivia, Burundi, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, DPRK, Egypt, Eswatini, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, UAE, Venezuela, Yemen