Events

The recent manifestations of the upsurge in racial discrimination, including racial violence, as seen in global protest movements, require a renewed commitment from the international community to build a strong front to thwart racism. Various forms of direct, indirect and systemic discrimination, targeting individuals and populations based on their ethnicity, origin, identity (including cultural and religious), gender, age, socio-economic status, disability, inter alia, have proliferated in societies, normalized these social ills, and exacerbated inequalities and exclusion, especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a response to this situation and in line with the Global Call against Racism adopted at the 210th session of the UNESCO Executive Board, UNESCO's Social and Human Sciences Programme will organize a multi-stakeholder Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination on 22 March 2021. This will also be UNESCO’s contribution to the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action.

The Forum will be held in the context of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March). 

It will be composed of four panels and will gather representatives of Member States, experts, NGO communities, civil society, foundations, the private sector and media.

The Forum will be one of the first major advocacy initiatives to contribute to the Global Call against Racism with the following objectives:

• present and consolidate the outcomes of the UNESCO anti-racism and anti-discrimination initiatives, with the view to intensifying the UNESCO-wide efforts among a larger network of partners, especially within the COVID-19 context;
• gather like-minded Member States, high-level academic and scientific experts, renowned thought-leaders and change-makers, as well as foundations and donor institutions, in order to build a global front of partners against racism and discriminations in different fields;
• enhance the knowledge and awareness of these networks to advance inclusive and gender transformative actions that foster intercultural dialogue, tackle racism and discriminations and systematically promote human rights;
• contribute to developing an anti-discrimination toolbox that could effectively enhance government policies and practices to recognize systemic discrimination, boost affirmative action and foster inclusive policies;
• identify the next steps in enhancing an anti-racism roadmap, with specific proposals, in consultation with these partner networks.

Time: Mar 22, 2021, 10:00 AM - Mar 22, 2021, 5:30 PM

Contact: Anna Maria Majlöf

– JOIN THE FORUM HERE –

• Provisional Programme
• Global call against racism
• Fostering Rights, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination

URL:

https://events.unesco.org/event?id=2215910981&lang=1033