Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77^th session of the General Assembly

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Commemorative meeting on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

21 March 2023

[As Delivered]

Mr. Secretary-General,

Mr. Mayor,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We gather today to celebrate the great work of those who have fought and who continue to combat all forms of racism and discrimination.

In this field, we need relentless efforts.

After 75 years since we adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the legacies of the racist systems of slavery, apartheid and segregation can still be felt in our communities, our institutions, and our minds.

Like a virus, racism mutates and adapts itself to different times and contexts.

It is said that “racism is like a Cadillac, there is a new model every year”.

In fact, its manifestations and symptoms may change, but the breadth of its harm remains intact.

Racism and hate speech are besieging our societies from many directions.

Old falsehoods have taken on new forms, embedded in modern technologies.

Online, this violence takes on new, covert, but no less toxic forms.

Algorithms can perpetuate racial stereotypes and biases.

Technology can be used to increase illegal surveillance and reinforce discriminatory practices.

And, of course, left unregulated, social media can supercharge campaigns of extreme violence that can go as far as fomenting genocide.

Governments and tech corporations should work together to regulate virtual platforms, and curb hate wherever it appears, and in all the languages it appears in.

Working out the Global Digital Compact is an unprecedented opportunity to tackle online hate, in a manner that also addresses hate speech against women and girls and various minorities.

Millions of Africans and people of African descent; Asians and people of Asian descent; indigenous peoples; national, ethnic, and linguistic minorities; religious communities; and migrants continue to be subjected to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, inequality, and exclusion of various areas of their lives.

Most of the harmful narratives are rooted in notions of racial supremacy, and they evoke atavistic fears.

Even worse, they embolden extremists by giving legitimacy to their acts of violence.

Друзья,

Сколько раз мы должны быть свидетелями разрушений, вызванными этими дискриминационными заблуждениями?

В 1945 (в тысяча девяносто сорок пятом) году мы заверили: «никогда больше».

75 (семьдесят пять) лет назад мы обязались выполнить обещание о том, что «все равны перед законом и имеют право без какой-либо дискриминации на равную защиту закона».

Сегодня мы отмечаем этот обет и это обещание.

(Russian translation: Friends,

How many times must we witness the devastation caused by these exclusionary delusions?

In 1945, we vowed “never again”.

75 years ago, we pledged to deliver on the promise that “all are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law”.

Today, we commemorate that vow and that promise.)

Mais est-ce assez ?

Répéter ces mots nous poussera-t-il à agir ?

Vingt ans depuis son adoption, comment pouvons-nous mieux incorporer le Programme d’action de Durban – notre ligne directrice pour combattre le racisme, la discrimination raciale, et autres intolérances – dans toutes nos activités ?

(French translation: But is that enough?

Will repeating these words push us to act?

With twenty years since its adoption, how can we better embed the Durban Programme of Action – our blueprint for combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance – into all our activities?)

In the 16 negotiating tracks ongoing in the General Assembly, where can we pay closer attention to racial discrimination?

تتطلبُ مُكافَحة العُنصريةِ جُهوداً جَماعيةً على كَثيرٍ من المُستوياتْ.

يتعينُ أن نَعملَ نحوَ بِناءِ العَالَمِ العَادِلِ والمُتساوي الذي أُنشئتْ مُنظمتُنا لتعزيزِه.

(Arabic translation: Combatting racism requires collective efforts at many levels.

We should work towards the fair and equal world our organization was designed to foster.)

And we can do that through education, dialogue, advocacy, and self-reflection, through just policy-making and good governance.

We owe it to the Emmett Tills, the Malik Oussekines, the George Floyds of this world – to all those who have fallen prey to the man-made delusion that is racism.

We owe it to the Marcus Garveys, the Rosa Parkses, the Mahatma Ghandis, the Rigoberta Menchu Tums and the Nelson Mandelas of this world – to all those who have dedicated their lives to combatting discrimination and racial violence.

Let us learn from their lifelong commitment to justice, accountability, and peace.

And let us pledge ourselves to do the same.

I thank you.