In his message, Guterres called for urgent action for everyone, everywhere, to commit to rooting out the evil of racism that has been in force for centuries.

This international day is also an opportunity to highlight the enormous contributions of African descent to all fields of human activity, Guterres stressed.

20 years after the Durban Declaration and Program of Action, and more than halfway into the International Decade for People of African Descent, we are experiencing unprecedented momentum towards ending the global scourge of racism, he said.

United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Slave Route Project calls upon us to speak openly and honestly about the horror and greed of slavery.

United Nations Fund for Population Activities’s (UNFPA) initiative towards investing in young people of African descent focuses on expanding opportunities. And the Agenda Towards Transformative Change for Racial Justice and Equality – launched by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – seeks to dismantle systemic racism, ensure accountability, and deliver reparatory justice.

Acknowledging the entrenched legacy of enslavement, redressing the wrongs of history, and shattering the evil lie of supremacy, demands persistence and action every day, at every level, in every society.

pgh/Pll/rgh / ifb