The murder of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 and the ensuing mass protests worldwide have marked a watershed in the fight against racism. In some countries, there is now broader acknowledgment of the systemic nature of the racism that affects the lives of Africans and people of African descent and of the need to address the past in order to secure future conditions of life that uphold the dignity and rights of all. It is our collective duty to address these issues – immediately and everywhere. We bring the United Nations Human Rights Council’s steps to apprehend systemic racism.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights calls upon States to translate this agenda into action plans and concrete measures developed through national dialogues and with the meaningful participation of people of African descent to address the specific histories, lived experiences and current realities in each State.
The Office of the High Commissioner looks forward to working with States and the Human Rights Council to implement this agenda, including by:
** strengthening assistance to States and other stakeholders;
** documenting and following up on specific incidents; consulting and partnering with victims, survivors and affected communities;
** and providing guidance for relevant racial justice processes in States, for which additional dedicated capacity is needed.
Four-point Agenda Towards Transformative Change for Racial Justice and Equality
Anchored in the lived experiences of Africans and people of African descent, the report sets forth a comprehensive set of urgently needed measures to end systemic racism and address racial discrimination and violations by law enforcement. To achieve concrete results, a profound, joined up approach – a transformative agenda – is needed that will dismantle systemic racism root and branch.
We need to STEP UP, PURSUE JUSTICE, LISTEN UP and REDRESS.
I. STEP UP: Stop denying and start dismantling
Systemic racism needs a systemic response to rapidly reverse denial, and alter structures, institutions and behaviours leading to direct or indirect discrimination against Africans and people of African descent in every part of life.
1. Adopt comprehensive “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” reforms and responses to dismantle systemic racism, elaborated in comprehensive and adequately resourced national and regional action plans.
2. Make time-bound public commitments on implementation of national and regional strategies and action plans to end systemic racism, and empower independent institutions to monitor and report on how those commitments are met.
3. Use data to drive and assess responses to systemic racism and collect and make public comprehensive data disaggregated by race or ethnic origin, gender, age, and other factors, with strict safeguards and in accordance with international human rights law, aiming at analysing the effect of laws and policies on Africans and people of African descent.
4. Respond to racist behaviour, violence and hate crimes with the full force of law and the power of leadership, including by calling out and holding perpetrators accountable.
5. Accelerate implementation of recommendations by UN and regional human rights mechanisms, national commissions and inquiries, national human rights institutions and equality bodies, and monitor and report on progress.
II. PURSUE JUSTICE: End impunity and build trust
Ensure accountability of law enforcement officials for human rights violations and crimes against Africans and persons of African descent, close trust deficits, and strengthen institutional oversight.
1. Reimagine policing and the criminal justice system by supporting and implementing community-driven models for dignity and collective safety that protect and serve all members of communities without discrimination.
2. Implement reforms to restrict use of force and prohibit racial profiling; consistently and effectively bring to justice law enforcement officials for violations against Africans and people of African descent; and provide redress for victims and their families.
3. Regularly publish data, disaggregated by victims’ race or ethnic origin, on deaths and serious injury by law enforcement officials and related prosecutions and convictions, as well as any disciplinary actions.
4. Create and/or strengthen independent oversight and complaints procedures and mechanisms regarding action by law enforcement; institutionalize and standardize reporting and review of use of force leading to death or serious injury and stocktaking of lessons learned.
5. Establish and resource independent mechanisms to support families and communities affected by law enforcement violations, including through funding for separate autopsies, victim compensation programmes, psycho-social and bereavement assistance, support to bury victims, and accessing justice.
III. LISTEN UP: People of African descent must be heard
Ensure that people of African descent and those who stand up against racism are protected and heard, and their concerns are acted on.
1. Ensure effective participation and/or representation of people of African descent, in particular women and youth, at every level in State institutions, including law enforcement and the criminal justice system, and policy-making processes.
2. Recognise past and current contributions by individuals and organisations that stand up to racism, and encourage and support solidarity across equality movements.
3. Ensure full respect for the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and recognize the right to peaceful protest as a way of effecting change.
4. Protect the safety and rights of organisers, participants, observers and journalists in protests with particular attention to members of groups that are or have been subjected to racial discrimination.
5. Investigate effectively, impartially and in a timely manner, any allegation of human rights violations or abuses against individuals and organisations that stand up against racism.
IV. REDRESS: Confront past legacies, take special measures and deliver reparatory justice
Recognise that behind contemporary forms of racism, dehumanisation and exclusion lies the failure to acknowledge the responsibilities for enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism, and to comprehensively repair the harms.
1. Acknowledge that truth, justice and reparations with regard to enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism and their legacies contribute to non-recurrence and reconciliation and benefit all of society.
2. Create, reinforce and fully fund national and other processes to construct a shared narrative on enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism and their lasting consequences for Africans and people of African descent.
3. Ensure effective participation of people of African descent and their communities to guide the design and implementation of these processes including broad and inclusive consultations.
4. Make amends for centuries of violence and discrimination through wide-ranging and meaningful initiatives, within and across States, including through formal acknowledgment and apologies, truth-telling processes, and reparations in various forms.
5. Dismantle structures and systems designed and shaped by enslavement, colonialism and successive racially discriminatory policies and systems; re-envision public spaces, including by memorializing the contributions of and harms against people of African descent and ensuring that enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism are not glorified.
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