Calvin Smyre
U.S. Public Delegate
New York, New York
October 27, 2023
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Special Rapporteur. We look forward to welcoming you during your official country visit beginning next week.
In marking the 60th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, President Biden urged “All of us … to say as clearly and forcefully as we can: Hate will not prevail in America.”
The United States categorically condemns all forms of systemic racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, violent extremism, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, and related intolerance.
We also share your concerns about the rise in hate crimes and incitement to violence targeting marginalized racial, ethnic, religious, and Indigenous communities, including people of African descent around the world, and the relentless exploitation of the Internet for recruitment and organization by hate groups.
We must work to stop the spread of hate by countering entrenched systems that support discrimination and racism by building tolerant, cohesive, just societies and engaging in debate and dialogue that fosters tolerance and inclusion.
Additionally, we must ensure that all human rights defenders can conduct their work in safe and enabling environments without fear of reprisal of any kind.
We call upon Member States to redouble their efforts to counter systemic racism and all forms of ethnic, racial, and religious hatred and to promote tolerance and understanding within and among countries.
Special Rapporteur, what actions can Member States take to build more tolerant, cohesive, just communities online and offline?
I thank you.
###
