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STORY: UN / RACISM DISCRIMINATION XENOPHOBIA
TRT: 4:13
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 MARCH 2021, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
1.Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
19 MARCH 2021, NEW YORK CITY
2.Wide shot, General Assembly
3.SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Our duty, as responsible global citizens, is to eradicate it. Wherever we see racism, we must condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification. This includes looking into our own hearts and minds. Each one of us needs to ask: How am I and my society racist? And what must I do to correct it? Addressing racism is not a one-time exercise. Racism is a complex cultural phenomenon. To fight racism, we have to be proactively anti-racist.”
4. Wide shot, General Assembly
5. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“It is time to acknowledge and repair longstanding wrongs and reverse their consequences. Reparatory justice is essential for reconciliation, prevention of conflict and the creation of societies based on fairness, equality, respect and solidarity. It can help mend the social contract between people and the State. As societies become ever more multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural, we need greater political, cultural and economic investment in inclusivity and cohesion. We need to harness the benefits of diversity rather than perceiving it as a threat.”
6. Wide shot, General Assembly
7. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Young people’s attitudes and behaviour will dictate the future shape and look of our societies. Only by understanding and rejecting this deep-rooted phenomenon can we end it. So, today, I appeal to young people everywhere, as well as all leaders and educators. Let us teach the world that all people are born equal. Supremacy is an evil lie. Racism kills. On this day, and every day, 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.”
8.Wide shot, General Assembly
9.SOUNDBITE (English) Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of African Centre:
“I don’t want to suffocate in a world in memory of hate, I want to breath. I want to breath in the sweet and rejuvenating air of compassion and cooperation. I want to live fully and fully aware that my life matters, my black life matters, I want to extend the gift of a full unconstricted life to all people around the world, will you join me?”
10. Wide shot, General Assembly
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of African Centre:
“When we see an inequitable treatment leaded out to people of different races under the law and under a system of governance, the alignment is to an idea, one that is often unspoken in our public spaces but consistently expressed through individual and collective actions and certainly experiencing their results. This idea is that somehow the color of your skin should subject you to inhumane treatment by a system within which you live. Painful as it is to recognize, this idea of white supremacy is a building block for many global systems, even ones that seek peace and mutual understanding. And this can have a corrosive effect on their ability to function.”
12. Wide shot, General Assembly
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of African Centre:
“If we don’t act, racism will kill us all. We have to understand and acknowledge that these systems, these incredibly powerful structures that govern the way we operate, are based on this idea. Because of our complicated and interconnected history of colonialism, subjugation, violence and resistance, we all are the effected and the effectors. We all share the responsibility of making sure that the ways in which racism shows up in our systems, explicitly, inexplicitly are seen, confronted, and checked, so that we can use our energy for bolder and brighter pursuits.”
14. Wide shot, General Assembly
Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, UN chief António Guterres reiterated that our duty, as responsible global citizens, is to eradicate racism, “wherever we see racism, we must condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification.”
Speaking at the General Assembly Hall today (19 Mar), Guterres stated that racism is a vicious global pandemic, adding that “addressing racism is not a one-time exercise. Racism is a complex cultural phenomenon. To fight racism, we have to be proactively anti-racist.”
Guterres noted that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. He stated that it offers an important opportunity to make an honest assessment of where the world stands and where it needs to go. He said that racism manifests in many forms – conscious and unconscious. Combatting it demands action every day, at every level.
Highlighting that it is especially important to recognize that historical injustices have contributed to poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion and instability for people and countries alike, the UN chief said, “it is time to acknowledge and repair longstanding wrongs and reverse their consequences.”
Guterres continued, “reparatory justice is essential for reconciliation, prevention of conflict and the creation of societies based on fairness, equality, respect and solidarity. It can help mend the social contract between people and the State.”
He added, “as societies become ever more multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural, we need greater political, cultural and economic investment in inclusivity and cohesion. We need to harness the benefits of diversity rather than perceiving it as a threat.”
This year, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination highlights the important role of youth, said the Secretary-General.
Guterres stated, “young people’s attitudes and behaviour will dictate the future shape and look of our societies. Only by understanding and rejecting this deep-rooted phenomenon can we end it.”
The UN chief appealed to young people everywhere, as well as all leaders and educators, saying that “let us teach the world that all people are born equal.”
Guterres reiterated, “supremacy is an evil lie. Racism kills.”
On this day, and every day, the UN chief said, “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.”
Also speaking at the event was Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of African Centre. He said, “I don’t want to suffocate in a world in memory of hate, I want to breath. I want to breath in the sweet and rejuvenating air of compassion and cooperation. I want to live fully and fully aware that my life matters, my black life matters, I want to extend the gift of a full unconstricted life to all people around the world.”
Iweala also said, “when we see an inequitable treatment leaded out to people of different races under the law and under a system of governance, the alignment is to an idea, one that is often unspoken in our public spaces but consistently expressed through individual and collective actions and certainly experiencing their results. This idea is that somehow the color of your skin should subject you to inhumane treatment by a system within which you live.”
He continued, “painful as it is to recognize, this idea of white supremacy is a building block for many global systems, even ones that seek peace and mutual understanding. And this can have a corrosive effect on their ability to function.”
Iweala stated, “if we don’t act, racism will kill us all.”
He said, “we have to understand and acknowledge that these systems, these incredibly powerful structures that govern the way we operate, are based on this idea. Because of our complicated and interconnected history of colonialism, subjugation, violence and resistance, we all are the effected and the effectors. We all share the responsibility of making sure that the ways in which racism shows up in our systems, explicitly, inexplicitly are seen, confronted, and checked, so that we can use our energy for bolder and brighter pursuits.”
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws" in 1960. “Youth standing up against racism” is the 2021 theme.
