Systemic racism report planned by UN body

THE United Nation’s top human-rights body agreed unanimously Friday to commission a report on systemic racism and discrimination against Black people while stopping short of ordering a more intensive investigation singling out the U.S. after the death of George Floyd sparked worldwide demonstrations.

The Human Rights Council approved a consensus resolution following days of grappling over language after African countries backed away from their initial push for a commission of inquiry, the council’s most intrusive form of scrutiny, focusing more on the U.S. Instead, the resolution calls for a simple and more generic report to be written by the UN humanrights chief’s office and outside experts.

The aim is “to contribute to accountability and redress for victims” in the U.S. and beyond, the resolution states. Advocacy group Human Rights Watch said the measure fell far short of the level of scrutiny sought by hundreds of civil society organizations, but nonetheless set the stage for an unprecedented look at racism and police violence in the U.S.

Iran and Palestine signed on among the co-sponsors for the resolution condemning “the continuing racially discriminatory and violent practices” by law enforcement against Africans and people of African descent “in particular which led to the death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 in Minnesota,” it says. Any state can sign on as a resolution co-sponsor at the council.