The narrative is frequently portrayed as being the only ones who have the rights of the world. Therefore, it may surprise some that the efforts of states from the Global South are largely responsible for the existence of the international legal framework for preventing racial discrimination.
A group of nine newly independent African states called for the creation of an international treaty to end racial discrimination in 1963, in the midst of the decolonization wave. The time had come to involve all States in that struggle, according to the Senegalese representative who stated: “Racial discrimination was still prevalent in African colonial territories and in South Africa, and it was still prevalent in other parts of the world.”
Two years later, the UNGA unanimously adopted the groundbreaking International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). Any racial differentiation-based doctrine of superiority was deemed “scientifically false, morally condemnable, and socially unjust” by the convention.
Millions of people around the world continue to experience racial discrimination as we mark the 60th anniversary of its adoption, whether through policing, immigration policies, or through exploitative work conditions.
More than 100 people were massacred by security forces in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas in October, the majority of whom were Afro-Brazilians and were living in poverty, according to Amnesty International’s report from Brazil.
We have seen how Tunisian authorities have used immigration laws to carry out mass expulsions of Black refugees and asylum seekers for the past three years.
In addition to endured gruesome and abusive working conditions, Kenyan female domestic workers in Saudi Arabia are subject to racism and exploitation from their employers.
Federal agencies across the country have eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives aimed at eradicating systemic racism. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on people and refugees are a horrifying component of President Donald Trump’s white supremacist-based deportation and detention strategy.
Migrants who are detained in detention facilities have been subjected to deliberate neglect and torture.
In addition, Amnesty International has documented how racist and xenophobic content is being automatically and ingrained by new digital technologies, while social media offers poorly moderated and racist forums. For instance, our investigation into the racist riots in Southport, the UK, revealed that X’s design and policy choices provided fertile ground for the racial narratives that led to the violent killing of Muslims and migrants.
When attending meetings where important human rights decisions are made, even human rights advocates from the Global South are subject to racial discrimination.
The legacy of European colonial dominance and the racist ideologies on which they were founded are the underlying causes of all these instances of systemic racism. From the era of the erasure of indigenous populations to the transatlantic slave trade, atrocities occurred during this era, which spanned nearly four centuries and stretched across six continents.
The rise of anti-right movements has resulted in a resurgence of racist and xenophobic language, a rise in migrants and refugees as scapegoats, and a decline in anti-discrimination laws and protections.
Western nations have also been overly willing to undermine international law and institutions to justify Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and to acquiesce against Israeli authorities.
Global South countries continue to be at the forefront of the fight against racial oppression, injustice, and inequality, just as African states did with the ICERD 60 years ago. The Hague Group, a coalition of eight Global South states organized to hold Israel accountable for genocide, was co-founded by South Africa and notably brought the case against Israel to the International Court of Justice.
Along with indigenous peoples, Africans, and people of African descent, the Caribbean and African states are taking the lead in the fight for justice. The CARICOM has increased its pressure on European governments to acknowledge their colonial past, most recently seen by the CARICOM Reparations Commission in the United Kingdom.
African leaders convened in Algiers last month to discuss the International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism, which consolidated demands for the codification of colonialism as a crime under international law.
However, that is insufficient. States must address racism as a structural and systemic issue and stop treating it like slavery and colonialism have no place in our present.
People are voicing opposition all over the world. The March of Black Women for Reparations and Wellbeing was led by hundreds of thousands of Afro-Brazilian women in Brazil last month to protest racist and sexist historical violence. The wave of federal immigration raids this year in the US was met with protests in Los Angeles and mobilizations in Chicago to defend migrant communities and businesses from ICE raids.
Governments must listen to their citizens and carry out their responsibilities under ICERD and national law to protect the marginalized and oppressed from discrimination.
