UN leaders renew push to defeat racism, 25 years after Durban

UN Member States Renew Global Commitment to Confront Racism

Provpnmatrix.com – United Nations Member States have renewed their commitment to tackling racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, marking 25 years since the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action established a global framework for action.

A new declaration emerging from a high-level meeting on Monday is set to go before the General Assembly for formal adoption. Discussions brought together governments, UN leaders and young advocates who stressed that racism remains embedded in institutions, public life and digital spaces around the world.

“No country is free of racism.”

That message, delivered by US youth activist Marley Dias, captured the urgency of the meeting. Dias urged governments to address the continuing effects of slavery, colonialism and discrimination, while ensuring that younger generations understand the histories that have shaped modern societies.

Youth, education and representation

Dias founded the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign at age 11 after struggling to find books at school featuring girls who looked like her. Her experience became a call for stronger representation in education and culture, as well as for teaching history in ways that are accurate, accessible and meaningful to young people.

She said young people should play a central role in carrying out the Durban Declaration’s commitments. Digital learning materials, in particular, can help broaden access to historical knowledge, but they must be reliable and inclusive.

The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action was adopted in South Africa in 2001. It remains an international blueprint aimed at eliminating racism, discrimination, xenophobia and connected forms of intolerance. Its adoption followed decades of global concern over racial injustice, including colonial rule and South Africa’s 46-year apartheid system.

The UN’s work on racial discrimination predates Durban. In 1963, the organization adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The first World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination followed in 1978. The Durban framework built on those earlier efforts by setting out a broader programme linking legal protections, education, public policy and international cooperation.

Technology creates new risks

Delegates at the meeting warned that racist rhetoric is now spreading through channels that were not available when the Durban declaration was adopted. Speaking for the Group of 77 and China, Uruguay’s representative expressed concern over what she described as an alarming return of racism in its many forms.

She called for action against racism, religious intolerance and hate speech both on the internet and in everyday life. Social media, she said, allows hateful material to circulate at extraordinary speed, while artificial intelligence can intensify the reach of information and disinformation.

Technology can make an important contribution to sustainable development when used responsibly, delegates noted. At the same time, countries face a shared responsibility to ensure digital developments reduce inequalities rather than reinforce structural disadvantages that already exist.

The challenge extends beyond removing individual posts or messages. It includes examining the systems that determine what content is amplified, whose voices are heard, how false claims spread and whether vulnerable communities have equal protection online. The Durban agenda’s focus on institutions remains relevant as discrimination takes new forms in digital environments.

Calls for justice and reparations

Several speakers linked the fight against present-day racism to unresolved historical harms. Adam Tesfaye Abera, Chief of Staff at Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, reaffirmed Ethiopia’s support for the Durban Programme of Action and emphasized the need for reparations related to colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade.

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, said the declaration recognizes the lasting impact of colonialism, genocide, apartheid and slavery. He argued that remembering historical injustice, while important, cannot by itself resolve its consequences.

“Historical injustice cannot be overcome through remembrance alone, it requires justice and reparation.”

Mansour said the Durban Declaration has particular meaning for Palestinians. He recalled that the 2001 text voiced concern over their situation under foreign occupation and recognized their right to self-determination and an independent State.

Racism remains a global concern

Secretary-General António Guterres called for stronger laws, more inclusive institutions and reparatory justice. He described racism as a poison with deep roots in slavery and colonialism, warning that its influence remains powerful.

He highlighted discrimination experienced by people of African descent, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, refugees and minority communities. Racism can appear through unequal access to economic opportunity, social services and political participation, as well as through discriminatory laws, policies and institutions.

“Racism continues to poison societies, deepen inequalities and deny people their fundamental rights and freedoms.”

Guterres also warned that digital technologies can magnify hate speech and disinformation, spread damaging stereotypes and contribute to violence and abuse. The response, he suggested, must combine legal safeguards with institutions capable of protecting equal rights in practice.

The renewed declaration places the Durban framework back at the center of international debate at a time when governments are being asked to confront both familiar and emerging forms of discrimination. Its significance lies not only in renewed promises, but in whether those commitments lead to education, protections and public policies that make equality more than a principle on paper.