Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi urged the international community on Thursday to address the drivers of structural discrimination, including those rooted in the history of colonialism in South Asia.
Speaking at a virtual special meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESC) titled ‘Reimagining Equality: Eliminating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination for all in the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),’ the FM maintained that the elimination of racism and religious discrimination were at the core of the UN 2030 agenda.
“The SDGs are visionary in their stated commitment to ‘leave no one behind’. They aim to bring an end to all forms of discrimination and inequality, including racism. Yet, racial equality is under attack globally. Expressions of racial hatred, religious supremacy and violent nationalism have moved from the fringe to political mainstream,” he said on the occasion.
While drawing attention towards a “deadly pandemic of hate”, he listed out a four-point roadmap, wherein the foreign minister proposed the inclusion of objectives of promoting racial, ethnic and religious equality, redressing historic inequalities and injustices of the past, as part of the concept of “building back better” from Covid-19 and achieving the SDGs.
He called for adoption of action plans by all concerned states to ensure equality and improve the economic situation of people of African descent and other oppressed ethnic and religious groups facing discrimination.
Besides emphasising increase in the representation of people of African descent in global institutions and leadership positions, as well as building a global alliance against the rise and spread of Islamophobic, anti-sematic and other violent nationalist and racist groups.
He pointed out that the assault on the human dignity of millions around the world had reached alarming proportions – from the resurgence of neo-Nazi and other violent nationalist groups, to the racist and xenophobic attitudes of politicians; from pervasive Islamophobia and racial profiling of Muslims, to excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies against people of African descent.
With reference to Pakistan’s neighbourhood, the foreign minister highlighted that the hateful political rhetoric and incitement to violence against vulnerable ethnic and religious groups had resulted in discriminatory citizenship laws, attacks on places of worship and repeated state-sponsored pogroms against minorities, in addition to the brutal occupation and suppression of peoples struggling for their right to self-determination.
He also proposed, inter alia, the forging of a global alliance against the rise and spread of Islamophobia as well as other violent nationalist and racist groups.
Foreign Minister Qureshi said that the Covid-19 pandemic had further intensified the divisions and reinforced racial discrimination and aggravated existing inequalities besides disproportionately impacting racial minorities.
The racial minorities had also been subjected to harsh treatment by law enforcement in the context of emergency measures and to unequal access to health care and social protection.
The minister said that the pandemic also amplified racist and xenophobic sentiments, with popular calls to deport, quarantine and segregate migrant workers, most of whom belong to developing countries.
In some instances, people belonging to racial, religious or ethnic minorities have been subjected to hate speech and vile conspiracy theories accusing them of spreading the virus, he added.
“All this has happened in our region as well,” he admitted.
He said the people of African descent continue to endure intolerable discrimination in many parts of the world.
It is vital for the international community to address the structural drivers of racial inequality including those rooted in the history and legacy of colonialism, Qureshi said.
Referring the UN Secretary General’s words against colonialism creating vast inequalities, within and among nations during his annual Nelson Mandela lecture, the foreign minister said while the wave of decolonization swept the world in the aftermath of the Second World, the legacy of colonialism was still reflected in international economic and political system.
“We continue to witness this in the discriminatory global trade and financial structure. It is also visible in the economic and social injustices and non-inclusive nature of global financial institutions. Discriminatory migration and employment policies, fueled by xenophobia and racism, continue to be tolerated in many societies,” he said.
Qureshi said that two decades after the Durban Conference, the recognized nexus between racism, xenophobia, and related intolerance and timely achievement of SDGs has to be acknowledged and addressed.
Pakistan’s Ambassador at UN Munir Akram opened the meeting as the council’s current president, reminding the participants that the Covid-19 crisis had revealed existing inequalities in unequal access to food, education, health, housing, as well as access to justice. “It has also incited xenophobia and discrimination,” he added.
The special meeting was convened under Pakistan’s presidency of ECOSOC, and was aimed at addressing the linkage between structural racism, discrimination, inequalities and the pursuit of the SDGs – with a special focus on building those inter-linkages that help in a better response to the pandemic and its impacts, according to the Foreign Office (FO).
During the meeting, UN SG António Guterres said that with the Covid-19 pandemic exposing social and economic inequalities rooted in racism, discrimination and xenophobia, recovery must lead to more inclusive societies.
The UN chief added that the global crisis “represents a damning indictment of systematic prejudice and discrimination”, with Covid-19 mortality rates up to three times higher for some marginalised groups.
“As we strive to recover from the pandemic and build a better world, we need to forge a new social contract based on inclusivity and sustainability. That means investing in social cohesion,” the secretary-general said.
“All groups need to see that their individual identities are respected while feeling that they belong as valued members of society as a whole.”
In addition to the UN SG, other speakers at the meeting included President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa and the vice-president of Costa Rica.
