March 22, 2026 | 03:11 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for unity and action to overcome racism, which he said is still prevalent in every community, society, country, and region worldwide.
In his message for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, Antonio Guterres said that the legacies of colonialism, slavery, and oppression still fuel many of today's problems, including economic, social, and political inequality; discriminatory policies and practices; and outright conflict.
"And it spreads via new digital tools and technologies that inundate us with hate speech, perpetuating lies and harmful stereotypes that often spill over into real-world violence and abuse," he warned, as quoted by Antara.
"The antidote is unity and action," the UN chief said, calling on all governments, institutions, businesses, and communities to work together to address racism and protect the dignity, justice, equality, and human rights to which everyone is entitled.
"This means universal ratification and full implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, living up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, now marking its 25th year, which includes concrete steps to end racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," he added.
"Today, and every day, we must take a stand. We must fight for the dignity, rights and belonging of every person on Earth, and erase the stain of racism from our world," Guterres said.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 1966 to raise awareness and encourage global action against racism.
Read: UN: Middle East Conflict Could Push 45 Million More Into Hunger
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