Ukraine, USA, UK, others Vote Against UN Resolution to Combat Racism
At the 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ukraine voted against a resolution calling for action against racism.
The Czech Republic, France, Germany, Montenegro, the Netherlands, and Poland were among the nations who voted against the resolution. Seven nation chose not to vote.
#HRC51 | Draft resolution A/HRC/51/L.28 Rev.1: “From rhetoric to reality: a global call for concrete action against #racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance” was ADOPTED. pic.twitter.com/RPGu37O7ut
— UN Human Rights Council (@UN_HRC) October 7, 2022
The council was presented with a resolution on Friday with the heading “From rhetoric to reality: a global appeal for decisive action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.”
Rita French, the UK’s human rights ambassador, gave a speech outlining the UK’s position on the racism resolution.
“We do not agree with claims made in this resolution that states are required to make reparations for the slave trade and colonialism, which caused great suffering to many but were not, at that time, violations of international law.
“Moreover, these claims divert focus from the pressing challenges of tackling contemporary racism and global inequality – which are global challenges affecting all regions,” Ms French said.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ethiopia, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and Somalia all had their mandates extended by the United Nations Human Rights Council with the adoption of 14 resolutions on Friday.
The Council also passed resolutions on the human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, the improvement of the Human Rights Council’s universal periodic review process, and national human rights organizations.
Additionally, there was a request for international collaboration to strengthen national structures for implementation, reporting, and follow-up. This was done in order to promote concrete action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.
The final step was to improve technical cooperation and capacity building in the area of human rights, as well as technical support and capacity building for Yemen in the area of human rights and to address the human rights implications of the Marshall Islands’ nuclear legacy.
