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During a High Level panel on the 25th anniversary of the DDPA, ISHR called on States to renew their commitments to justice and accountability, and fully implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
On 24 February, a high-level panel was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). Speakers emphasised that, after 25 years, the DDPA remains a global framework for combating racism and its evolving manifestations.
Panellists included Nada Al Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights; Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; Beatriz Carrillo de los Reyes, Director General for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination and against Racism at the Ministry of Equality of Spain; James Ndirangu Waweru, Chair-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and Ketty Marcelo López, President of the Organization of Ashaninka Indigenous Women of the central Amazon region of Peru. The interventions underscored notable progress while emphasizing the urgent need to intensify efforts toward racial justice, particularly in times of massive proliferation of blatant racist rhetoric. According to Beatriz Carrillo de los Reyes, ‘Hate speech finds new ways of gaining ground through digital means and misinformation and bullies continue to erode coexistence and the most basic consensus and agreements’. Furthermore, significant advances at the international level were recognized, such as the drafting of the United Nations Declaration on the Human Rights of People of African Descent.
According to the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, the most common form of discrimination is based on national or ethnic group, while discrimination based on skin colour remains prevalent. In addition, at least 30% of human rights defenders killed worldwide in 2024 were indigenous or belonged to a minority group. Against this backdrop, she asserts that the simplest way forward is for States to fulfil the commitments made in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
The Deputy High Commissioner acknowledged that this is not exclusively a matter for States. ‘Businesses also have an important role. They have a responsibility to prevent and mitigate racial discrimination linked to their operations through policies, due diligence and mechanisms to address grievances.’ In addition, businesses must also analyse their historical role and economic benefit in the root causes of racism, racial discrimination and related forms of intolerance. In this regard, the media also plays an important role in promoting and reflecting diversity and fair representation, including in its coverage of culture, sports and civil society.
Ketty Marcelo López highlighted how racism and classism intersect to shape the experiences of Indigenous women, particularly regarding their rights to land, autonomy, and self-determination. Ketty stressed that indigenous peoples reject assimilation, and demand respect for their ways of life. Last, Marcelo López stated that the governments of the Americas remain colonial, as colonialism did not end with independence.
Taking the floor to advocate for renewed commitment to the DDPA, ISHR reiterated that no country is free from racism, and it is time for States to focus on building a more equitable and just world for all. Ending racism requires restorative justice, which calls for courageous leaders and a supportive government structure to end centuries of discrimination and dismantle the colonial power structures that sustain deeply entrenched systems of oppression. ISHR delivered a message containing five concrete calls for States: 1. to oppose any UN reform that could undermine access to justice and the participation of Africans and people of African descent, 2. to actively participate in the drafting of the UN declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent, 3. to renew all anti-racist mandates that are up for renewal this year, 4. To participate in activities related to the African Union’s decade of reparations, and, 5. to recognise that systemic racism is a direct consequence of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and colonialism, and take concrete measures to redress historical injustices.
Find ISHR’s oral statement below.
Read below the longer version of the above statement:
The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) is the United Nations action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance worldwide. It embodies the international community’s firm commitment and has great moral value, serving as a basis for advocacy initiatives around the world. In this spirit, United Nations mechanisms such as the WGEPAD, the PFPAD, the IGWG for the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the EMLER and others were created to uphold the commitments made 25 years ago.
In the context of United Nations reform and the global crises, it is more important than ever to respect, protect and fulfil the agreements reached in Durban, renewing the commitment to accountability and justice, and opposing any reform that could represent a step backwards in terms of human rights and access to justice for those individuals and communities affected by systemic racism.
The links between past and contemporary forms of racism were clearly established at the 2001 World Conference against Racism. It was recognised at that moment that no country can claim to be free of racism, that racism is a global problem and that combating it requires a universal effort. These words are as true today as they were then. In the context of increased repression, militarised and excessive policing, racial profiling, racial discrimination in the administration of migration, increased hateful narratives, and other human rights violations, this demands that States move towards concrete measures in favour of racial justice and give greater priority to the global fight against structural racism and all its manifestations.
ISHR, in our work of supporting those who have been actively working to build a world free from racial injustice, echo the words of HRDs and their organisations, and call on States to:
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