UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that racism remains deeply entrenched worldwide and continues to reflect the lasting consequences of "enslavement, colonialism, and oppression," as some governments weaken policies designed to combat discrimination.
"Racial discrimination is a violation of human rights and human dignity," Guterres said at a commemorative meeting of the UN General Assembly marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, adding that "It is a learned behaviour that is both pervasive and deeply destructive."
Saying that "racism harms us all," Guterres said: "It persists in the damaging consequences of enslavement, colonialism, and oppression."
He also warned that "many of the solutions to confront it are being weakened as some governments dismantle anti-racist policies and practices and leaders try to rewrite history."
Guterres expressed alarm at the spread of hateful rhetoric and said he is "deeply troubled by how racism and xenophobia are being mainstreamed on digital platforms and in political discourse."
"What might begin with dog whistles, coded messages meant to embolden other bigots, can quickly turn into full-throated hate speech," he cautioned.
Calling for collective action, he urged that "governments, institutions, businesses and communities must work together to safeguard the dignity, justice, equality, and rights of every person."
"Let's fight for the dignity, rights and belonging of everyone," he added. "And together, let us vow to erase the stain of racism from our world."
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk echoed the concern, warning that discrimination remains widespread despite surface-level progress.
"Let's not fool ourselves: we may no longer segregate people on buses, but too often we still do so in our minds and our ways of life," Turk said, noting that race remains the most common ground for discrimination globally.
"Yet many countries still lack anti-racism legislation, and not even a quarter have comprehensive anti-discrimination laws," he added.
He further warned that "white supremacy and oppression also strike at the roots of global peace and security," adding that in many ongoing conflicts, "decades of severe racial and ethnic discrimination have fuelled unimaginable atrocities."
