Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



'Pernicious evil' of racism pervasive in 'all regions and all societies' — UN chief
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 20 - 03 - 2021

Much of today's racism is "deeply entrenched in centuries of colonialism and enslavement", the UN chief said on Friday ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
"Today, apartheid lies dead. But, sadly, racism lives on – in all regions and all societies," Secretary-General António Guterres told a meeting of the General Assembly commemorating Sunday's international day.
He painted a picture of pervasive discrimination and exclusion suffered by people of African descent, injustices and oppression endured by indigenous peoples, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred — and the latest abhorrence of violence against people of Asian descent who are bring targeted unjustly for COVID-19.
"We also see it in the biases built into the codes for facial recognition and artificial intelligence" as well as the "repugnant views of white supremacists and other extremist groups," added the top UN Official.
Pandemic of hate
Guterres recalled that last year, people around the globe protested racial injustice, recognizing racism as a "vicious global pandemic".
He said racism was a "deeply rooted evil" — "Dangerous. Abhorrent. Ugly. And everywhere" — that transcends generations and perpetuates inequality, oppression and marginalization.
Calling it "a complex cultural phenomenon", he upheld that everyone "must be proactively anti-racist" to eradicate racism.
Reverse 'longstanding wrongs'
Marking the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action of the World Conference against Racism, the UN chief said that 2021 offers an opportunity to "make an honest assessment of where we stand and where we need to go".
"Racism manifests in many forms — conscious and unconscious," he stated. "Combating it demands action every day, at every level."
Reflecting upon its historical injustices, which have contributed to poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion and instability for people and countries alike, the secretary-general said it was time to "acknowledge and repair longstanding wrongs and reverse their consequences".
He maintained that "reparatory justice" is essential for reconciliation, conflict prevention and the creation fair, equal societies, adding that it can also "help mend the social contract between people and the state".
Youth in the fore
The UN chief highlighted the import role of youth in fighting racism, saying that their attitudes and behavior "will dictate the future shape and look of our societies".
As such, he appealed to young people, leaders and educators to "teach the world that all people are born equal".
"Supremacy is an evil lie. Racism kills...let us work together to rid the world of the pernicious evil of racism so all may live in a world of peace, dignity and opportunity', said Guterres.
COVID toll deepens
General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir, also noted that people of African descent "often have unequal access to medical care and are vulnerable to higher rates of coronavirus infection and related mortality".
In some contexts, he pointed out that they are twice as likely to die as a result of COVID-19 than their peers, and for those who do recover, the cost of healthcare and the pandemic's socio-economic impact, threatens "to push people of African descent into poverty".
When healthcare, and other systems, such as justice, housing, and education, fail people of African descent, it perpetuates injustices and inequalities, he said.
'Black. Lives. Matter'
"The onus is upon each of us to uphold the fundamental human rights of people of African descent. Let me say here today, in the General Assembly: Black. Lives. Matter", Bozir spelled out. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.