The United Nations warns that it is necessary to "dismantle at the root" the systems that perpetuate racism

MADRID, 1 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned in a statement published this Friday that racial discrimination persists and will not disappear until the systems that perpetuate it are "dismantled at the root."

The United Nations has valued the initiatives carried out to combat racism against Africans and people of African descent, but has pointed out that most of them are limited to applying the law, promoting accountability and reparation for victims.

However, the UN denounces that many of these projects do not address systemic racism that involves "structural, state, economic and social factors." For this reason, the Interim High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada al Nashif, has demanded from the States "greater political will to accelerate action."

"These projects are piecemeal. They fall short of the comprehensive approaches needed to dismantle the entrenched structural, institutional and social racism that has existed for centuries and continues to inflict profound damage today," Nashif said.

In addition, the international organization has warned that the lack of access to health, adequate food, education, social protection and justice affect "disproportionately people of African descent in many nations." Likewise, they would affect higher rates of poverty, forced disappearances and violence towards other population groups.

The report also highlights the disproportionate impact of the death penalty, punitive drug policies, arrests and the overrepresentation of this group in prisons. In addition, it warns of a lack of accountability and reparation for the deaths of Africans and Afro-descendants after a meeting with law enforcement officials."