Racial discrimination

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the fifth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, in Geneva today:

In Haiti, a UN report details the human rights impact of violence perpetrated by gangs, security forces, private contractors and self-defence groups. According to UN-verified data, at least 5,519 people were killed and 2,608 injured between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026.

Following are remarks by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed at the event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, delivered in New York on Tuesday, 24 March 2026:

Racism — from its deadly historical manifestations to its growing normalization on digital platforms and in political discourse — continues to divide societies and dehumanize communities worldwide, senior United Nations officials told the General Assembly today, underscoring the need for urgent, collective action to uphold equality, justice and human rights for all.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the General Assembly event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in New York today:

In South Sudan, as efforts intensify to bring justice to communities cut off from formal legal systems, mobile courts — supported this month by the United Nations Mission (UNMISS) and national authorities — are delivering long-awaited accountability in conflict-affected areas.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today issued a report detailing unrelenting violence against human rights defenders in Colombia over the past decade, with an average of just under 100 killed every year. The High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that the structural causes of this tragedy must be addressed.

In observance of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, in collaboration with the Government of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, will present A History Exposed:  The Enslavement of Black People in Canada at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 18 March to 20 April.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed on 21 March: