Statement by India under Agenda Item 9 : ID with Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent at the 45th Session of the Human Rights Council(14 September – 07 October 2020) delivered by Mr. S. Senthil Kumar, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India (Geneva, 30 September 2020)
Madam President,
At the outset, we thank the Working Group for presenting its activities and the report on Covid-19 pandemic, systemic racism and global protests, and take note of its recommendations.
2. It is unfortunate that there are underlying structural inequalities and fundamental problems in access to health care and treatment, leading to racial disparities in health outcomes and increased mortality and morbidity for people of African descent during COVID 19 times.
3. My delegation strongly believes that racism and racial discrimination are pervasive and often lead to serious violation of human rights. The principle of equality enshrined in the Indian Constitution expressly prohibits any discrimination on the grounds of racism. We believe that the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination provides a strong legal framework for addressing many of these contemporary practices.
4. It is regrettable that even in the present day and age, the attitudes and thought processes of the bygone era continue to foment racial hatred, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. We need to continuously assess the strengths and weaknesses of the social policies and legal frameworks that are in place to address contemporary forms of racism.
I thank you, Madam President.
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