The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
"Transformative change needed to dismantle racism and police violence": rights chief
The Human Rights Council embarked on a discussion over police violence against people of African descent on Friday, with a warning from UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet that “brutality and discrimination against people of African descent continue to occur”.
In an appeal on Friday for States to take action, the High Commissioner for Human Rights insisted that “no police officer or any other agent of any State should ever be above the law”.
But she said wider prejudice in society and its institutions can only be addressed by digging deeper, and facing “the mass below the surface,” to understand “the roots of today’s inequalities and the unacknowledged and unredressed racism upon which they have grown”.
Her comments coincide with the US trial of a former police officer accused of killing black American George Floyd in May 2020.
Mr. Floyd, who was 46, died after an officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes in Minneapolis, sparking worldwide protests and the Black Lives Matter movement.
His killing also prompted widespread calls for a discussion of the issue at the Human Rights Council in Geneva barely a month later.
It resulted in Resolution 43/1, mandating Member States to look at systemic racism and human rights violations by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent – and to contribute to accountability and redress for victims.
This “opportunity for justice is denied to countless other families” of other black victims of police violence, Ms. Bachelet continued, adding that “so many cases involving deaths of people of African descent never make it to court” and “officials responsible for human rights violations are not being held to account”.
To help end racial injustice in law enforcement, the High Commissioner noted that her Office would present a report to the Geneva-based body in June.
It will outline “an agenda for transformative change” with proposals to “dismantle” systemic racism and police brutality against Africans and people of African descent, and to tackle impunity.
The upcoming report will also offer an analysis of Governments and the disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officers to “recent, overwhelmingly peaceful, demonstrations for racial justice”.
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet: “Ten months after the killing of George Floyd set off new waves of outrage and demands for change across the world, a key trial related to his killing is now beginning. But this crucial, defining opportunity for justice is denied to countless other families.”
- Wide shot, podium with speakers, Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet: “Many of the families we consulted clearly felt their governments are not doing enough to acknowledge or counter systemic racism in law enforcement and justice – and their officials responsible for human rights violations are not being held to account.”
- Wide shot, near-empty Assembly Hall in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet: “I want to be very clear: impunity for crimes that may have been committed by agents of the State is profoundly damaging to the core values and social cohesion of every nation. No police officer or any other agent of any State should ever be above the law. This is, after all, the basic premise of the rule of law.”
- Wide shot, Assembly Hall balcony, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet: “To end racial injustice in law enforcement, we cannot simply see tip of the iceberg, we must face the mass below the surface. We must understand the roots of today’s inequalities and the unacknowledged and unredressed racism upon which they have grown.”
- Medium shot, journalists sitting in front of laptops, Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet: “My report to the Council in June will recommend an agenda for transformative change to dismantle systemic racism and police brutality against Africans and people of African descent, and to advance accountability and redress for victims.”
- Medium shot, journalists in the Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet: “It will also analyse Government responses to recent, overwhelmingly peaceful, demonstrations for racial justice – including credible reports of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officers against protesters, bystanders and journalists, and broader threats to people of African descent and others who stand up against racism.”
- Medium shot, UNTV camera filming in foreground and podium to rear, Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, journalists typing on laptop, Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations.
- Wide shot, podium with speakers, side shot, Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks reportedly continue to hamper aid access.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Ceasefire reduces violence in South Lebanon, but challenges remain as communities face devastation.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ebola continues to spread in DRC, death toll passes 500 – WHO
The outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expanding, while the push to accelerate testing and identify effective treatment options continues, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | ITU , ODET , PGA , UN , UNESCO
UN chief António Guterres appealed on Monday for far-reaching, worldwide controls on Artificial Intelligence, as increasingly powerful AI chips that are designed for civilian use shift to the battlefield, where “killer robots” are already the norm.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk addressed the 62nd Human Rights Council during the Interactive Dialogue on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
More blistering heatwaves and other weather extremes are increasingly likely across the world now and in coming months linked to strengthening El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk this morning addressed the 62nd Human Rights Council during the urgent debate on the human rights situation in and around El Obeid, in Sudan.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Venezuela earthquake aftermath: ‘breakdown of basic services’, disease risks and health workers missing – UN agencies
As search and rescue operations continue in Venezuela thousands of displaced people are struggling to find shelter while infectious diseases threaten to spread, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today addressed the 62 Human Rights Council and made the following remarks on the report on Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday called for action to prevent more deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, as well as for investigations and accountability.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IOM , paho , UNHCR , OHCHR , IFRC
Aid agencies on Friday highlighted massive needs across Venezuela caused by a double earthquake disaster that has killed at least 235 people so far, with search and rescue for people trapped under the rubble still the top priority.