The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday unanimously voted to commission a report on systemic racism and discrimination against black people and condemned last month’s killing of George Floyd, which sparked worldwide anti-racism protests.
The 47-member group, of which the U.S. is not a member after withdrawing in 2018, approved a resolution after days of negotiating the language of the document, during which a group of African nations reportedly backed down from their efforts to launch a commission of inquiry on the matter following U.S.-led closed-door talks.
The resolution now calls for a more streamlined report to be authored by the council chief’s office among other experts, and seeks to “contribute to accountability and redress for victims” in the U.S. and around the world, The Associated Press reported.
It also condemns “the continuing racially discriminatory and violent practices” by law enforcement against Africans and people of African descent “in particular which led to the death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 in Minnesota.”
Mr. Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis.
The resolution also calls for the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to review government responses to peaceful protests that swept the world in the wake of Floyd’s death and issue a report on her findings to the council by June of next year.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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