<\/p>\n
The framework, adopted in South Africa (SA), seeks to address historical injustices, dismantle systemic inequalities and build societies based on dignity, equality and justice.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres warned that racism remains deeply rooted in the legacies of colonialism, enslavement and oppression, and continues to manifest through economic, social and political inequalities. \u201cAs we see around the world, racism continues to poison societies, deepen inequalities, and deny people their fundamental rights and freedoms,\u201d Guterres said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Guterres called on governments to strengthen and effectively implement anti-discrimination and equality laws, dismantle systemic discrimination and increase investment in inclusive societies. \u201cThe antidote to these poisons is unity and tangible action,\u201d Guterres said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Guterres also urged businesses to prevent direct and indirect discrimination and called on technology companies to tackle bias in artificial intelligence systems.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The UN Secretary-General said the consequences of slavery, colonialism and racial discrimination must be confronted through \u201cconcrete measures to deliver reparatory justice grounded in international human rights law\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Claudia Fuentes Julio, speaking on behalf of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that discrimination is increasing globally, with nearly one in five people reporting experiencing discrimination during the past 12 months. \u201cThese are not abstract statistics; they speak to lived realities,\u201d Fuentes Julio said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fuentes Julio said inequalities could not be properly understood or addressed without confronting the past, highlighting reparatory justice as particularly important for Africans and people of African descent.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s turn commitments into real equality,\u201d Fuentes Julio said. \u201cWhat is needed now is the political will to act.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said the Durban Declaration had drawn strength from SA’s struggle against apartheid and confronted racism as a structural problem.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rahman said 78 of the 182 states parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination were significantly behind in their reporting obligations. \u201cThis is more than a reporting gap; it\u2019s an accountability gap,\u201d Rahman said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Durban Programme of Action calls for investment in health, education, housing, electricity and drinking water, alongside equal employment opportunities and improved access to technology. It also calls for the history and contributions of Africans and people of African descent to be included in education curricula.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":43163,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-46707","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"World leaders are meeting at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to assess progress in combating racism, 25 years after the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.\r\n","published_date":"","news_description":"World leaders are meeting at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to assess progress in combating racism, 25 years after the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46710,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46707\/revisions\/46710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=46707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}