The calls of "Black Lives Matter," which have been ringing out across the U.S. and the world, reverberated around the walls of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday.
"Patience has run out. Black lives matter. Indigenous lives matter. The lives of people of color matter. All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights: that is what this council, like my office, stands for," said the high-commissioner, Michelle Bachelet.
Addressing an urgent debate on racism and police brutality called at the UN Human Rights Council, Bachelet also urged countries to "confront the legacy of the slave trade and colonialism," which lies behind "racial violence, systemic racism and discriminatory policing" today.
"We also need to make amends for centuries of violence and discrimination, including through formal apologies, truth-telling processes and reparations in various forms," Bachelet added.
The UN's high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, addressed 'systemic racism' in her speech and called for reparations for slavery and colonialism. /AP
The urgent debate was convened at the request of African countries seeking a UN inquiry into racism and police civil liberties violations against people of African descent in the U.S.. It followed the death of George Floyd, a black man, after a white police officer knelt on his neck during his arrest in the U.S. last month, sparking global outrage and protest movements.
"Since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis last month, a wave of mass protests have surged forward," the UN rights chief told the council, which the U.S. quit two years ago on the order of President Donald Trump.
"The act of gratuitous brutality has come to symbolize the systemic racism that harms millions of people of African descent, causing pervasive daily, life-long, generational and, too often, lethal harm," Bachelet added.
Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, asked the council to "consider establishing an independent commission of inquiry to investigate police killings of black people in America and the violence used against peaceful protesters."
During his impassioned speech via video call, Floyd told the council: "You watched my brother die, that could have been me. You at the United Nations are your brothers' and sisters' keepers in America and you have the power to help us get justice for my brother, George Floyd. I am asking you to help us, black people in America."
George Floyd's brother, Philonise, gave an impassioned speech calling for the UN rights council to launch an inquiry into police killings of black people in the U.S. /Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
Several African countries, which had proposed the draft resolution, also made their arguments.
"The Human Rights Council must be the ultimate defender of the weak and do so particularly for the descendants and the victims of the transatlantic slave trade," South Africa's ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko told the talks.
But activists and diplomats said that U.S. and Australian officials had lobbied African countries to tone down their draft resolution and the proposal for an inquiry was dropped. The latest draft of the resolution, seen by Reuters, does not name the U.S. or set up a UN commission of inquiry.
Andrew Bremberg, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, issued a statement saying that his country was "not above scrutiny" as it grappled with racial discrimination but was implementing police reforms after Floyd's killing.
"As the world's leading advocate for human rights, we call upon all governments to demonstrate the same level of transparency and accountability that the U.S. and our democratic partners practice," Bremberg said.
"Sadly, there are too many places in the world where governments commit grave violations of human rights and practice systematic racial discrimination, while many of those assembled in Geneva are silent," he added.
The latest text proposes that the office of Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, "establish the facts and circumstances relating to systemic racism" and alleged use of excessive force and report back in a year.
But some activists and commentators say they are concerned this is merely a symbolic move from the UN Human Rights Council and that more needs to be done, rather than said, by the council.
The UN Human Rights Council's 47 members are to vote on the resolution following the urgent debate, which was set to conclude on Thursday.
Wednesday marks only the fifth time in the council's 14-year history that it has agreed to hold an "urgent debate," which is like a special session, but within a regular session of the council.