31 August marks the International Day for People of African Descent, on which the UN calls for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against persons who fit this description. African diaspora populations include but are not limited to: African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Latin Americans, Black Canadians – descendants of enslaved West Africans brought to the United States, the Caribbean, and South America during the Atlantic slave trade.
Ahead of the Day, UN News spoke to Dominique Day, and Verene Shepherd, two experts on the subject, who want to raise awareness about the links between the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the global economy.
A Decade Dedicated to People of African Descent.
In proclaiming this Decade, the international community is recognizing that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected. Around 200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent live in the Americas. Many millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent.
The Fellowship Programme for People of African Descent provides the participants with an intensive learning opportunity to deepen their understanding of the United Nations human rights system, instruments and mechanisms, with a focus on issues of particular relevance to people of African descent. The Fellowship Programme will allow the participants to better contribute to the protection and promotion of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of people of African descent in their respective countries.
On the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared, we remind states that it is first and foremost their obligation to keep families informed about what has happened to their loved ones.
Established in 1983, the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances has since grown to encompass all individuals who have gone missing as a result of armed conflict or natural disaster. That now includes the thousands of migrants who disappear every year.
On the 30th of August this year, we will pay hommage to the families of those who have gone missing. These families are left, in the words of the psychologist Pauline Boss, to cope with an "ambiguous loss." "Ambiguous loss is what happens when somebody goes missing and their presence or absence cannot be clearly established," she says. "If families have no official proof that their loved one is dead or alive, they are unable to move on." Along with the pain of not knowing that only grows as years go by without answers, these families often face numerous difficulties including psycho-social, administrative, legal and economic problems.
No trace of you: Thousands of migrants are missing on the roads to Europe.
According to the International Organization for Migration, nearly 3,300 migrants went missing or deceased along the migration routes into Europe in 2021. In reality, the number is far higher.
CAMPAIGN: #notraceofyou.
The #NoTraceOfYou campaign aims to raise the public's awareness of a tragedy that is unfurling at our doorsteps and the situation of the families who are suffering in silence, often alone. Many have seen pictures of rescue boats saving migrants on overcrowded, unseaworthy boats. But for the handful of people who are rescued, how many drown? Nobody knows.
Moreover, those who make it are often unable to tell their families they are well. Losing their mobile phone, spending time in a detention centre or their own families becoming displaced – these are just some of the reasons why people lose touch .
How to help families in their search for answers?
Families can be left waiting – often for decades – to hear from their loved ones. But what can be done? The ICRC, with more than 150 years of humanitarian action protecting and assisting those in need, knows this issue well. So do the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies who help families look for missing relatives through their Restoring Family Links services.
In 2013, the ICRC and European National Red Cross Societies created Trace the Face, a tool specifically designed to help families find loved ones who have gone missing along the migration routes into Europe. On average, thanks to this tool, one family finds a loved one every week. Sadly of course, sometimes the person has died. But according to an ICRC report, the bodies of only 13 per cent of those recorded as lost at sea between 2014 and 2019 by the International Organization for Migration have been found and buried in Italy, Spain or Greece. Many bodies have still not been identified, leaving families in the dark. Proper and dignified management of deceased persons is vital to enable their identification and give answers to the families.
So, at the ICRC, we use forensic expertise to help authorities identify the dead and / or to locate their families. We also work to reconstruct tragic events, such as shipwrecks, drawing on a wide variety of information and sources to give the families of missing people the answers they need. Whenever possible, the ICRC engages in dialogue with States to seek to prevent people from going missing, to put in place suitable search processes and to ensure dignified management of the dead including identification procedures.
From the steppes of Kazakhstan, to the pristine waters of the Pacific Ocean and the deserts of Australia, nuclear testing has long poisoned our planet’s natural environment and the species and people who call it home.
The International Day Against Nuclear Tests represents a global recognition of the catastrophic and lingering damage done in the name of the nuclear arms race. It is a way to remember those who suffered because of the folly of atomic brinkmanship. And it is an alarm bell for the world to finally put in place a legally binding prohibition on all nuclear tests.
With nuclear risks reaching new heights, now is the time for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to come into full force, underpinned by an effective verification system.
Nuclear weapons have no place in our world. They guarantee no victory or safety. By design, their only result is destruction.
Our world has been held hostage by these devices of death long enough. On this important day, I call on the world to act for the health and survival of people and planet alike.
Let’s ensure the end of testing now and forever, and consign nuclear weapons to history, once and for all.
Over the decades, and especially in recent years, civil society efforts in support of a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing for the most part have been connected to the larger enterprise of achieving the total elimination of nuclear weapons. To help bring the CTBT into force, NGOs, civil society and members of the public, especially in those countries that must ratify the Treaty for it to enter into force, can urge their – and other - governments and parliaments to sign and ratify the treaty. They can also urge their governments to endorse the Secretary-General’s Five Point Proposal for Nuclear Disarmament, which includes bringing the CTBT into force and consideration of negotiating a nuclear weapons convention, backed by a strong system of verification, as has long been proposed at the United Nations. Many entities, such as research institutes, academic institutions and NGOs, are engaged in disarmament-related work, including in relation to the CTBT.
On this day, we honour those who have lost their lives or who have otherwise suffered for simply seeking to exercise their fundamental rights to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief. I reiterate my firm solidarity with these victims.
Despite the concern of the United Nations General Assembly, which instituted this observance in 2019, persons and communities worldwide continue to face intolerance and violence based on religion or belief.
Hate speech, online or offline, continues to fuel violence against vulnerable members of society, including ethnic and religious minorities. We must do more to support victims and examine the conditions that drive intolerance and hate. Initiatives like my Call to Action for Human Rights and the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech are tools that can be used to address these complex and pressing issues.
States have the responsibility to prevent and address discrimination and violence inflicted in the name of religion or belief through comprehensive policies that promote inclusion, diversity, tolerance and interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Human rights violations perpetrated in the name of religion or belief must be investigated and punished, and effective reparations need to be provided to victims, in compliance with international human rights law.
It is essential that all States, faith leaders and other influential actors condemn all incitement to hatred and violence based on religion or belief. Only a collective, inclusive, and society-wide effort can result in safe co-existence for all and end this blight on our societies.
António Guterres
The cynical abuse of religion or belief as a tool of discrimination, hostility and violence should be condemned by all actors at every level of society, UN experts and senior UN officials* said today. Ahead of the International day to commemorate victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief, they issue the following joint statement:
Regrettably, we see these standards flouted with impunity in every corner of the world through an alarming number and severity of violations, many targeting persons belonging to religious or belief minorities. Considering that States have the primary responsibility to promote and protect human rights, these violations are particularly abhorrent when directed by State authorities themselves and where they reveal consistent patterns of gross violations of human rights. In other instances, the State is unable or unwilling to protect victims of all ages from violence or, worse still, funds and supports these acts which target individuals and communities belonging to religious or belief minorities, especially those with multiple marginalized identities. Violence too often contributes to further marginalising populations who are already discriminated against.
On this international day, we also condemn the targeting of individuals, in the name of religion or belief. This cynical abuse of religion or belief as a tool of discrimination, hostility and violence should be condemned by all actors at every level of society. Last year, the General Assembly adopted its resolution 75/309 of 21 July, in which it reaffirmed the obligation of Member States to prohibit discrimination and violence on the basis of religion or belief and to implement measures to ensure the equal and effective protection of all by the law. International law rejects any attempt to call on either religion or belief, or freedom of religion or belief, as justification for the destruction of the rights and freedoms of others. Online and offline hate speech that take the form of expressions of intolerance, discrimination and violence against individuals on the basis of religion or belief should be addressed and countered.
In commemorating this significant UN day, we urge States to redouble efforts to provide redress to victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief. We seek to prevent such violations by taking constructive steps that hollow out the efforts of State or non-state actors who carry out acts of intolerance and violence based on religion or belief or in the name of religion or belief.
Our efforts require us to work together in the promotion of tolerance and respect for religious or belief diversity and human rights, as States, United Nations entities, regional organisations, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organisations, religious or belief bodies and leaders, the business sector, the media and civil society. We stress the importance of working together in recognition of the potential role that inspiration and volition drawing from religion and belief can play in advancing respect for the human rights of each and all, and dialogue, understanding and peace.”
The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Remembrance of and paying tribute to victims of terrorism plays a central role in demonstrating that their status as victims is respected and recognised. The International Day serves to commemorate and uphold the dignity of victims and highlights the importance of global solidarity in ensuring that victims are not forgotten.
The theme for this year’s International Day is “Memories” and was selected following consultation with victims and victims’ associations. Memories bind us together as if connected by a red thread, a fil rouge: a thread that signifies our common humanity and solidarity with those who have suffered irreparable losses in the most heinous of circumstances.
Statement by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, on the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism 2022; August 21st.
"The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is a day of reflection, recognition, and action. We reflect on the pain and suffering of those who lost loved ones; and we resolve to listen to them and learn from them. We commit to support survivors scarred by heinous acts of terrorism by amplifying their voices, protecting their rights, and seeking justice. And by mobilizing Member States to provide the legal, medical, psychosocial, or financial support they need to heal and live with dignity. The theme of this International Day focuses on the importance of memories. Too often victims feel abandoned after the initial shock of a terrorist attack. It is our collective responsibility to remember and honour victims and survivors. I look forward to learning and hearing directly from survivors about their needs and challenges, at the Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism next month. On this International Day and every day, let us make sure that victims and survivors are always heard and never forgotten. And let us do everything we can to prevent more victims in the future. Thank you".
U.N. Secreatry-General.
EVENTS
To mark the fifth commemoration of the International Day, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) is organizing a high-level pre-recorded event entitled ‘Surviving Terrorism: The Power of Memories’ to be broadcast on Sunday, 21 August 2022, on UN Web TV. The pre-recorded event will be opened by United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, and feature the participation of the co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, the Republic of Iraq and the Kingdom of Spain, testimonies from four victims of terrorism, and closing remarks by Under-Secretary General for Counter-Terrorism, Mr. Vladimir Voronkov.
CAMPAIGN
The cornerstone of this year’s virtual observance is the “Memories”External link campaign, launched by UNOCT’s United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) earlier this year. Through film, photography, and carefully crafted captions, the “Memories” campaign tells the stories of victims of terrorism from across the globe who share their memories, emotions and the meaning that they attach to a personal object.
The 2022 WHD campaign shines a light on the thousands of volunteers, professionals and crisis-affected people who deliver urgent health care, shelter, food, protection, water and much more.
For this year’s WHD, we will use digital art to tell the stories of people in need and those who help them. At the centre of the campaign is a series of beautifully illustrated aid worker profiles that show the breadth and depth of humanitarian work and collectively symbolize the wider humanitarian village. Follow the conversation with the hashtags #worldhumanitarianday; #19August; #ItTakesAVillage
Conflict, climate change, a pandemic, hunger, displacement... Never has the world seen such complex megacrises. Yet there is a group of people who never give up easing suffering and bringing hope.
The 19th anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad will be observed on Friday, 19 August 2022 with a brief ceremony organized by the Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service and DMSPC. The ceremony also marks the observance of World Humanitarian Day designated by the General Assembly in 2008 to honour humanitarian aid workers who have been killed or injured in the course of their work.
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world needs to leverage the full potential of all generations. Solidarity across generations is key for sustainable development. We must collaborate to foster successful and equitable intergenerational relations and partnerships to ensure “no one is left behind.” While intergenerational solidarity and concern for future generations is being called for in tackling global issues – with the UN Secretary-General recently putting forward new recommendations on renewed intergenerational solidarity, including in Our Common Agenda – many challenges remain.
Ageism continues to present a significant – yet, not sufficiently discussed – challenge to fostering collaboration and solidarity across age groups. The World Health Organization defines ageism as “the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) directed towards others or oneself, based on age”. Ageism is an insidious and often an unaddressed issue in health, human rights and development, and has bearings on both older and younger populations around the world. In addition, ageism regularly intersects with other forms of bias (such as racism and sexism) and impacts people in ways that prevent them to reach their full potential and comprehensively contribute to their community.
Today, we celebrate International Youth Day, and the power of partnerships across generations.
This year’s theme — “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages” — reminds us of a basic truth: we need people of all ages, young and old alike, to join forces to build a better world for all.
Too often, ageism, bias and discrimination prevent this essential collaboration. When young people are shut out of the decisions being made about their lives, or when older people are denied a chance to be heard, we all lose.
Solidarity and collaboration are more essential than ever, as our world faces a series of challenges that threaten our collective future.
From COVID-19 to climate change, to conflicts, poverty, inequality and discrimination, we need all hands on deck to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build the better, more peaceful future we all seek.
We need to support young people with massive investments in education and skills-building — including through next month’s Transforming Education Summit.
We also need to support gender equality and expanded opportunities for young people to participate in civic and political life.
It’s not enough to listen to young people — we need to integrate them into decision-making mechanisms at the local, national and international levels.
This is at the heart of our proposal to establish a new Youth Office at the United Nations.
And we need to ensure that older generations have access to social protection and opportunities to give back to their communities and share the decades of lived experience they have accumulated.
On this important day, let’s join hands across generations to break down barriers, and work as one to achieve a more equitable, just and inclusive world for all people.
U.N. Secretary-General.
EVENTS
Official Commemoration – Webinar
For International Youth Day 2022, DESA worked with the Major Group on Children and Youth (MGCY) to organize a global webinar for its official commemoration. The webinar features an exchange of views on the topic of intergenerational solidarity, intergenerational equity, future generations, and ageism.
Indigenous women are the backbone of indigenous peoples’ communities and play a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of traditional ancestral knowledge. They have an integral collective and community role as carers of natural resources and keepers of scientific knowledge. Many indigenous women are also taking the lead in the defence of lands and territories and advocating for indigenous peoples’ collective rights worldwide.
The significance of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge is widely acknowledged: “Long before the development of modern science, which is quite young, indigenous peoples have developed their ways of knowing how to survive and also of ideas about meanings, purposes and values.” As noted by the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, the term “scientific knowledge” is also used to underscore that traditional knowledge is contemporary and dynamic, and of equal value to other kinds of knowledge.
International consultations jointly facilitated by UNESCO and the Internal Council of Science (ICSU) states that “Traditional knowledge is a cumulative body of knowledge, know-how, practices and representations maintained and developed by peoples with extended histories of interaction with the natural environment. These sophisticated sets of understandings, interpretations and meanings are part and parcel of a cultural complex that encompasses language, naming and classification systems, resource use practices, ritual, spirituality and worldviews.”
However, despite the crucial role that indigenous women play in their communities as breadwinners, caretakers, knowledge keepers, leaders and human rights defenders, they often suffer from intersecting levels of discrimination on the basis of gender, class, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Their right to self-determination, self-governance and control of resources and ancestral lands have been violated over centuries.
Small but significant progress has been made by indigenous women in decision-making processes in some communities. They are leaders at local and national levels, and stand at the frontlines of defending their lands, their cultures, and their communities. The reality, however, remains that indigenous women are widely under-represented, disproportionately negatively affected by decisions made on their behalf, and are too frequently the victims of multiple expressions of discrimination and violence.
The Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) highlighted some of the major issues encountered by indigenous women, particularly noting the high levels of poverty; low levels of education and illiteracy; limitations in access to health, basic sanitation, credit and employment; limited participation in political life; and the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence.
On this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we are highlighting the role of Indigenous women in preserving and passing on traditional knowledge.
Indigenous women are knowledge keepers of traditional food systems and medicines.
They are champions of Indigenous languages and cultures.
They defend the environment and Indigenous peoples’ human rights.
To build and equitable and sustainable future that leaves no one behind, we must amplify the voices of Indigenous women.
Indigenous traditional knowledge can offer solutions to many of our common challenges.
On my recent visit to Suriname, I learned first-hand how Indigenous peoples are protecting their rainforest and its rich biodiversity.
On this International Day, I call on Member States to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to promote Indigenous traditional knowledge for the benefit of all.
The virtual commemoration will include an interactive dialogue segment with invited speakers, moderated by Ms Rosemary Lane, Acting Chief of the Indigenous Peoples Development Branch – Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Speakers will share their expertise and experience from their indigenous communities in preserving, reviving, retaining, and transmitting the traditional ancestral knowledge in various fields of communal activities, including but not limited to effective and sustainable climate solutions, use of natural resources, protection of biodiversity, ensuring food security, promoting native languages and culture, and managing indigenous science and medicine.
Some of the questions to be discussed are:
What is the unique position of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge?
What are some of the brightest examples of indigenous women-led processes in solving contemporary global issues through the effective application of traditional scientific knowledge?
How are indigenous languages crucial to the development, preservation, and transmission of indigenous cultural and knowledge systems? How are women leading the way in maintaining indigenous languages?
What was the effect of applying indigenous scientific knowledge and medicine in alleviating the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemiologic crisis?
Panel Speakers
Archana Soreng (Kharia) – Member of UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change
Aili Keskitalo (Sámi) – Former President of the Sámi Parliament of Norway
Zakiyatou Oualet Halatine (Touareg) – Former Minister of Tourism & Handicrafts, Mali
Hannah McGlade (Noongar) – Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Commentary
Commentary on Panel Discussion by His Excellency Ambassador Diego Pary Rodriguez (Quechua), Permanent Representative of Bolivia to the United Nations.
Participate by responding to two questions that will be asked at the end of the event, here are the details to join us!
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