HRC43

Madame President,

Let me begin by reaffirming Iceland’s strong commitment to combat all forms of racism, racial discrimination, and related forms of intolerance. No society is immune from racism and racial discrimination and we all have a long way to go in fully combating these harmful beliefs.

In the United States, the killing of George Floyd in police custody has flared a wave of protests that in fact mark a clear demonstration of peoples’ commitment in that country to fight racism and discrimination. To that end, we must stress that the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration are fundamental freedoms which must be protected everywhere. States have the duty to facilitate peaceful assembly, without further enflaming tensions and violence with excessive use of force.

We hope recent events and this debate today in the Human Rights Council will lead to strengthened efforts to combat racism and discrimination around the globe. For racism and racial discrimination goes against the very letter and spirit of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration and what we are trying to achieve in this Council. We all belong to the same human family and it is our joint responsibility to strengthen our efforts to combat racism and racial discrimination once and for all. We can only achieve this goal by working together.

I thank you.