43RD HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SESSION
19 June 2020
Decisions and Conclusions
EOV After the Vote/General Comments on draft Resolution A/HRC/43/L.50:
The promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of People of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers
Madame President,
We thank you and the African Group for leading the Human Rights Council in taking action on this most pressing issue of racism and systemic racial discrimination.
The protests in many cities and communities across the globe, as well as all constructive efforts to urgently and decisively address systemic deficiencies, have brought us to a threshold where any yoke or vestige of slavery and colonialism does not find any anchor, anymore, in any society.
It is everyone’s moral duty to remain vigilant and determined because the work of unshackling structures and mindsets takes time.
This urgent debate has manifested the will of the Council to act in solidarity with the world on this issue. This is an issue that affects the future of not only peoples of African descent in many parts of the world, but also, all minorities and therefore the future of diversity and humanity itself, as one delegation noted so eloquently.
The African Group has shown admirable determination and flexibility in the informal consultations. It upheld the spirit of transparency, inclusivity and constructive dialogue which is important to the Council and which has enabled us to reach this unifying outcome. We have witnessed in this urgent debate, Madam President, a compelling reflection on the values of objectivity and non-selectivity in the work of the Council, and how we have often applied different prisms and different standards in approaching issues that are demand our attention.
During this urgent debate, the Council properly exhausted our consideration of, and respect for, the will and commitment of duty bearers to address gaps and challenges within national mechanisms. We reaffirmed our faith in the broad range of tools and instruments in the existing human rights architecture which are constructive and non-coercive. We trust that the Council will be faithfully guided by this same fair wisdom, consistently, in our work, without bias and double standards.
Thank you, Madam President. END.