UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for “concrete measures” to address the lasting consequences of slavery, colonialism and racial discrimination, urging governments to strengthen efforts to promote equality and reparatory justice.
Guterres made the remarks Monday while addressing a high-level United Nations meeting commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, an international framework adopted to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
“The world must confront the enduring consequences of slavery, colonialism, and racial discrimination through concrete measures to deliver reparatory justice grounded in international human rights law,” Guterres said.
The UN chief said racial discrimination continues to manifest itself in different forms, including social and economic inequalities, discriminatory laws and institutions, and the denial of rights and equal opportunities.
He urged governments to strengthen and implement laws designed to combat discrimination and to take steps to dismantle systemic forms of discrimination.
Guterres also called for greater investment in inclusive societies, saying efforts to address racial discrimination should extend beyond declarations and commitments to practical measures capable of producing lasting change.
Technology and Hate Speech
The UN secretary-general also highlighted the growing role of digital technologies in spreading harmful content.
He warned that digital platforms and technologies can amplify hate speech and disinformation, allowing what he described as “lies and harmful stereotypes” to spread more widely and potentially contribute to violence and abuse.
“The antidote to these poisons is unity and tangible action,” Guterres said.
He called on technology companies to identify and address potential bias in artificial intelligence systems and to ensure that digital technologies contribute to equality and inclusion rather than reinforcing existing forms of discrimination.
The comments come as governments and international organizations increasingly examine the social implications of artificial intelligence and other rapidly developing technologies.
Guterres urged technology companies to take responsibility for identifying discriminatory biases within AI systems and developing safeguards that promote equal treatment.
Call for International Commitments
Guterres also urged countries to make the second International Decade for People of African Descent “a decade of concrete change.”
He called for universal ratification and full implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, a major international treaty addressing racial discrimination.
The secretary-general's appeal comes as the UN continues to promote international cooperation on racial equality and human rights.
The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted in 2001, established a framework for addressing racism and discrimination and included commitments relating to the historical consequences of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, among other issues.
The 25th-anniversary commemoration has nevertheless drawn criticism from the United States.
US Boycotts Commemoration
The United States is boycotting the anniversary commemoration.
US Ambassador for Management and Reform Jeff Bartos said Washington would not participate in what he described as the Durban conference’s “poisonous legacy.”
Bartos also urged other countries to reject what he characterized as the conference's anti-American and anti-Western legacy.
The United States withdrew from the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban.
According to Bartos, Washington's position is linked in part to its assessment of how Israel and Western countries were treated during the Durban conference and related proceedings.
The US criticism represents a longstanding disagreement between Washington and supporters of the Durban process over the conference's treatment of Israel and broader debates concerning racism, colonialism and historical responsibility.
The contrasting positions were evident at the anniversary meeting, with Guterres emphasizing the need for governments to address the continuing consequences of historical injustice while the United States declined to participate and criticized the legacy of the Durban process.
The meeting therefore brought renewed international attention to longstanding debates over racism, reparations, discrimination and the responsibilities of governments and institutions in addressing historical and contemporary inequalities.
