Making the United Nations Relevant to all People– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly
25 March 2019
Mr. Secretary-General, António Guterres,
Ms. Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Ms Tendayi Achiume, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,
Mr Amir Noureddine, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Words are powerful. Words can kill.
“You are subhuman.” “You are rats.” “You are cockroaches to be exterminated.”
These words framed some of the worst crimes in human history: slavery, the decimation of indigenous peoples, the Holocaust, Apartheid.
Excellencies,
The murder of 69 peaceful protestors in Sharpeville, South Africa on the 21st of March 1960 moved the General Assembly to create the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. A few years later, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination came into force. It is now 50 years old.
The Convention has supported the fight against racism at the country level and internationally. We have more laws and tools to combat discrimination. But we have not managed to keep our promise of “never again”.
Dear friends,
Racist ideologies helped fuel the genocide in Rwanda, the Srebrenica massacre, the atrocities committed since.
These crimes shame us all. They represent the worst of humanity.
But they are not accidents. They are part of a continuum of racism that begins with small things: stereotyping, suspicious looks, questions like: where are you really from? These micro-aggressions may not always lead to human rights abuses. But they can create the conditions for violations.
Excellencies,
Last year, the General Assembly decided that this meeting should focus on countering nationalist populism and supremacist ideologies.
The Special Rapporteur on racism has reported on the rise of racist propaganda in all regions. The Special Rapporteur on religious freedom has documented an alarming surge in attacks on Jews and Muslims, but also Christians, Hindus and other religious communities.
But I want to end by quoting a fictional superhero – T’Challa who spoke these words in the movie Black Panther:
“Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us … We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.”
Dear friends,
As the High Commissioner for Human Rights recently noted, populists rely on demonizing the “other”. Across the world, populists are exploiting the legitimate grievances of those who feel left behind. We must increase our efforts to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for all people, everywhere.
But we must not legitimize hate speech. We must push back against those who blame our problems on migrants. We must ensure short-sighted nationalism does not derail global solutions. The challenges we face require global co-operation like never before. No country can address issues such as climate change alone.
Multilateralism makes us stronger, not weaker. The 2030 Agenda is a framework all governments can use to respond to the needs and aspirations of their citizens.
Excellencies,
Racism has always co-opted the discourse of the day, from the pseudo-religious justification of colonial oppression to the pseudo-scientific Nazi doctrines of racial superiority. Today, the language of human rights is being co-opted. Freedom of expression is used as an excuse to disseminate hate.
Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right. It is a powerful tool to fight racism. But trolling does not support freedom of expression. It stifles it.
Hate speech isn’t free speech. It’s racism.
Dear friends,
Words can kill but they can save lives too.
I commend the Prime Minister of New Zealand for speaking out against hate speech in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Christchurch. I commend the Secretary-General’s plans to create a system-wide strategy on hate speech. And I commend this Assembly for reaffirming its commitment to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action last year.
Excellencies,
Later today, we will commemorate the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. As we enter the fourth year of the Decade for People of African Descent, we must do more to address the impact of our past on people and institutions today. For example, Africa and the Caribbean are underrepresented in international institutions. The UN’s 75th anniversary next year could be an opportunity to address this.
Dear friends,
Many heroes have spoken in this Hall, including Nelson Mandela, whose centenary we marked last year. But I want to end by quoting a fictional superhero – T’Challa who spoke these words in the movie Black Panther:
“Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us … We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.”
Thank you.
