UNHCR report on protection of human rights of Africans and African descent people

The murder of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 in Minnesota, United States of America, and the ensuing mass protests worldwide marked a watershed.

UNHCR report on protection of human rights of Africans and African descent people

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• The story: The murder of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 in Minnesota, United States of America, and the ensuing mass protests worldwide marked a watershed in the fight against racism. In some countries, there is now 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. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) in its report in June 2021 has given a roadmap.
• Swung into action: On 17 June 2020 the Human Rights Council held an urgent debate on current racially inspired human rights violations, systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests. On 19 June 2020, the Council adopted resolution 43/1 by consensus, in which it requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on systemic racism, violations of international human rights law against Africans and people of African descent by law enforcement agencies, especially those incidents that resulted in the death of George Floyd and other Africans and people of African descent, to contribute to accountability and redress for victims; to examine government responses to anti-racism peaceful protests, including the alleged use of excessive force against protesters, bystanders and journalists; and to present a comprehensive report to the Council at its forty-seventh session.
• UNHCR wants a transformative agenda: The objectives of the transformative agenda are to reverse cultures of denial, dismantle systemic racism and accelerate the pace of action; end impunity for human rights violations by law enforcement officials and close trust deficits in this area; ensure that the voices of people of African descent and those who stand up against racism are heard and that their concerns are acted upon; and acknowledge and confront legacies, including through accountability and redress.
• Reversing a culture of denial: It was clear that people of African descent face many forms of racial discrimination, marginalization and exclusion that are shaped by historical legacies, lasting for generations, affecting the enjoyment of human rights in every part of life. Systemic racism persists due to misconceptions that the abolition of slavery, the end of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism, and measures taken by States to date, have removed the racially discriminatory structures. But stark socioeconomic and political marginalization shapes the lives of people of African descent in many States. In countries where there are sizeable communities of people of African descent, the members of these communities are more likely to live in or to be vulnerable to poverty, suffer disproportionately high unemployment rates, earn lower wages and occupy less-skilled positions.
• Time for change:

1. States should examine the extent and impact of systemic racism and adopt effective legal, policy and institutional measures that address racism beyond a summation of individualized acts.
2. Eliminating incentives for perpetuating racism and ensuring that systems and institutions do not profit from it is key.
3. Systemic racism needs a systemic response. States should adopt a systemic approach to combating racial discrimination through the adoption and monitoring of whole-of-government and whole-of-society responses.
4. States should ensure the active and meaningful participation and representation of people of African descent, including women of African descent, and their organizations in State institutions.
5. Business enterprises must meet their corporate responsibility to respect human rights, including the rights of people of African descent.
6. In cases of police brutality, robust measures to end impunity and ensure accountability and redress for victims and their families in line with international human rights law are critical.
7. States should carry out effective, impartial and timely investigations of every allegation of the unlawful use of force or other violations, impose commensurate punishments and provide guarantees of non-repetition.
8. Any arrest and any criminal or administrative sanction imposed on organizers of or participants in a peaceful assembly must be proportionate, non-discriminatory in nature and must not be based on ambiguous, vague or overbroadly ned offences.
9. Reverse the cultures of denial, dismantle systemic racism and accelerate the pace of action.
10. End impunity for human rights violations by law enforcement officials and close trust deficits.

Here is the full report for your reference. 

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