Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on leaders in all fields to confront "this scourge, to speak out in their condemnation of it and to take the necessary measures to combat it."

In a message on the occasion of the International Day, the Secretary-General emphasized that racial discrimination affects all countries and leads to the division of societies, and that this discrimination is responsible "throughout history for an appalling amount of death and suffering."
According to the message published by the United Nations news website today, Tuesday, he said: "Racial discrimination and the legacy of slavery and colonialism continue to claim lives and limit opportunities for liberation from them, as they deprive billions of people of enjoying their full human rights and freedoms."

The Secretary-General stressed that racism fuels tensions and can contribute to creating a ground for violence and atrocities when it is exploited by Governments and other authorities for political purposes.

He emphasized that xenophobia, prejudice, hate speech and other forms of racism and intolerance were on the rise everywhere. “Political leaders are scapegoating minorities and immigrants. Social media influencers are commoditizing racism online. Artificial intelligence is reproducing racial discrimination in digital form. After a period of heightened global awakening, some countries are now facing an anti-equality backlash. rights and ensuring dignity for all.

Mr. Guterres stressed the need to resist these trends and put them back on the right track. "We must condemn, eliminate and confront racial discrimination in all its forms, wherever and whenever it appears," he said.

As the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights approaches, the Secretary-General called for a commitment to "eradicate racism and racial discrimination and to uphold the dignity and rights of all people, everywhere".