In its inaugural report, the UN agency established to uphold and defend people of African origin worldwide states that they are still “victims of systemic racial discrimination and racial attacks” including demands for compensation.
- Advertisement -
Reparations are “a cornerstone of justice in the 21st century,” according to the study, which was presented to the UN General Assembly. It states that reparations are necessary to right historical wrongs against people of African origin.
The report emphasizes that “the legacies of colonialism, enslavement, and apartheid are still alive today,” according to Epsy Campbell Barr, head of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, who made this statement during a recent news conference.
Millions of individuals of African origin “are more exposed to violence and death as a result of encounters with law enforcement officials,” she added, and these legacies still have a significant influence on their lives.
She noted, “It also makes them more exposed to health disparities” from “the profound impact that racism and racial discrimination have on both physical and mental health.”
According to Campbell Barr, the research emphasizes how “people of African descent” go unnoticed particularly those in vulnerable groups.
The forum was created as a UN consultative organization for enhancing the safety, standard of living, and livelihoods of persons of African origin by a General Assembly resolution passed in August 2021. It also acts as a consultative body for the Human Rights Council, which is situated in Geneva.
Based on its two inaugural sessions—one held in Geneva in December and the other in New York City from May 30 to June 2, the forum has produced a report and issued recommendations.
The report released states, “During the sessions of the Permanent Forum, halting and reversing the lasting consequences of enslavement, colonialism, genocide, and apartheid were seen as key to addressing systemic and structural racism against people of African descent, both internationally and domestically.”
Regarding restitution, it suggests that all 193 UN member nations “educate themselves and the public on the histories and legacies of colonialism and enslavement.”
It states that people should acknowledge their own roles in creating these legacies or the harm they have caused, and that all local, national, regional, and international racial prejudice should be eradicated.
