South Africa marks 20th anniversary of Durban Declaration

President Cyril Ramaphosa will this afternoon deliver a pre-recorded video statement at the Opening Plenary Meeting of the High-level Meeting on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). The theme for this session, which is scheduled for 3pm – 5pm South African time, is ‘Reparations, racial justice and equality for people of African descent’. It has been 20 years since South Africa hosted the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. At this conference held in Durban, UN Member States adopted a landmark plan for combatting these scourges. The 2001 declaration embodies the commitments of the international community to address the legacy of the past, as well as contemporary forms and manifestations of racism and racial discrimination, including the acknowledgement that slavery and the slave trade were a crime against humanity. The Programme of Action recommends how Member States and other stakeholders should implement these commitments. As an outcome of this week’s high-level meeting, Member States will adopt a political declaration aimed at mobilising political will at the national, regional, and international levels for the full and effective implementation of the Durban