Mr. President,
The 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) is a moment to celebrate, critically reflect and take stock.
The DDPA provided a comprehensive blueprint for the combat of racial discrimination, including the recognition of its historic root causes.
One significant achievement of the DDPA is the creation of opportunities for global discussions on reparations, including at the Human Rights Council. While significant disagreements persist, these discussions revealed that a failure to recognize the right to reparation for colonial atrocities will result in a continuation of injustices and a denial of rights that human rights frameworks – especially in Africa - provide to peoples dispossessed of their wealth, land and natural resources.
Civil society movements have been at the forefront of this struggle. Their tireless mobilization, despite persistent government pushback, put reparations on the international agenda. The African Union (AU) dedicated 2025 to reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent. The AU then extended it to a decade on reparations and decided to join its efforts with Caribbean states and their communities, who have spearheaded regional efforts to demand reparatory justice. That spirit of transnational connection should continue in close collaboration with civil society, especially affected communities, to ensure that reparations are community- and human rights-grounded.
We therefore urge states to use this commemoration as an opportunity to make real progress on reparations to bolster the fight against systemic racism. Reparations are an important and necessary foundation for a just and equitable future.
