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STORY: UN / INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
TRT: 04:10
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 23 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations
23 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, General Assembly
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President, 80th Session of the General Assembly, United Nations:
“The struggle against discrimination in all its forms, including racism, is never finished. It is not a destination we reach once and for all. It is a constant process – one decision, one action after another – requiring vigilance, determination, and courage”
4. Wide shot, General Assembly
5. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Racial discrimination is a violation of human rights and human dignity. It is a learned behaviour that is both pervasive and deeply destructive.”
6. Wide shot, General Assembly
7. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“I am deeply troubled by how racism and xenophobia are being mainstreamed on digital platforms and in political discourse. What might begin with dog whistles — coded messages meant to embolden other bigots — can quickly turn into full-throated hate speech. We know where this road leads: to further injustice, violence, and even worse. The remedy is solidarity. Governments, institutions, businesses and communities must work together to safeguard the dignity, justice, equality, and rights of every person.”
8. Wide shot, General Assembly
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“We have made some progress on the long road towards a more just world. But we are approaching a checkpoint – where this progress is questioned, delayed, and even pushed backwards. This checkpoint was set up by those who thrive on division and polarization. It is reinforced by discriminatory structures and sustained by the corrosive nature of dehumanization.”
10. Wide shot, General Assembly
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“Race remains the most common ground for discrimination globally. Yet many countries still lack anti-racism legislation, and not even a quarter have comprehensive anti-discrimination laws. Hate speech is spreading unchecked – even in societies that pride themselves on tolerance.”
12. Wide shot, General Assembly
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“At the global level, our political and economic systems still reflect centuries of exploitation.”
14. Wide shot, General Assembly
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“We need to go beyond rhetoric and take action to reform outdated systems of global governance – economic, financial, and political – that have much of the world in a chokehold. States must be able to access the resources they need to realize the human rights of their people, and they must have a say in setting the rules of the global economy.”
16. Wide shot, General Assembly
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“Racism is not only unjust and unlawful; it is morally and intellectually bankrupt. By questioning our assumptions, verifying facts, and learning about history and human rights, we can see through the tactics of distraction and recognize our shared humanity. Together, we must keep dismantling the barriers that hold people back, until they disappear completely. Together, let’s confront, call out, and act against racism, every time. Being anti-racist does not mean standing with one group against another. It means standing on the side of human rights and justice – for all.”
18. Wide shot, General Assembly
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said, “At the global level, our political and economic systems still reflect centuries of exploitation.”
Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General and Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke today (23 Mar) at the commemorative meeting to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The President of the General Assembly said, “The struggle against discrimination in all its forms, including racism, is never finished. It is not a destination we reach once and for all. It is a constant process – one decision, one action after another – requiring vigilance, determination, and courage”
Guterres, said, “Racial discrimination is a violation of human rights and human dignity. It is a learned behaviour that is both pervasive and deeply destructive.”
He also said, , “I am deeply troubled by how racism and xenophobia are being mainstreamed on digital platforms and in political discourse. What might begin with dog whistles — coded messages meant to embolden other bigots — can quickly turn into full-throated hate speech. We know where this road leads: to further injustice, violence, and even worse. The remedy is solidarity. Governments, institutions, businesses and communities must work together to safeguard the dignity, justice, equality, and rights of every person.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said, “We have made some progress on the long road towards a more just world. But we are approaching a checkpoint – where this progress is questioned, delayed, and even pushed backwards. This checkpoint was set up by those who thrive on division and polarization. It is reinforced by discriminatory structures and sustained by the corrosive nature of dehumanization.”
He also said, “Race remains the most common ground for discrimination globally. Yet many countries still lack anti-racism legislation, and not even a quarter have comprehensive anti-discrimination laws. Hate speech is spreading unchecked – even in societies that pride themselves on tolerance.”
He stated, “At the global level, our political and economic systems still reflect centuries of exploitation.”
He added, “We need to go beyond rhetoric and take action to reform outdated systems of global governance – economic, financial, and political – that have much of the world in a chokehold. States must be able to access the resources they need to realize the human rights of their people, and they must have a say in setting the rules of the global economy.”
He concluded, “Racism is not only unjust and unlawful; it is morally and intellectually bankrupt. By questioning our assumptions, verifying facts, and learning about history and human rights, we can see through the tactics of distraction and recognize our shared humanity. Together, we must keep dismantling the barriers that hold people back, until they disappear completely. Together, let’s confront, call out, and act against racism, every time. Being anti-racist does not mean standing with one group against another. It means standing on the side of human rights and justice – for all.”
