UN slams 'pushback' against diversity

By AFP

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies are facing a pushback around the world as part of a strategic shift to scapegoat vulnerable groups, the UN rights chief Volker Turk said Monday.

Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has led a crusade against programmes promoting DEI.

One of Trump's first acts was to terminate all federal government DEI programmes.

Companies that implement such policies are threatened with prosecution, and several major brands, including Meta, Target and McDonald's, have either abolished their DEI programmes or drastically reduced them.

However, this backtracking is not limited to the United States, said Turk -- who rarely mentions Trump by name -- in a global overview speech to the UN Human Rights Council.

"Social tensions are often rooted in systemic, long-standing discrimination based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, migrant status, caste, and other characteristics," he said.

"Policies to tackle such discrimination have had important successes in all regions of the world," he added.

"Some call these DEI policies. I call them standing up for equality.

"When we look at the pushback against such policies, we see it for what it is: a fundamental misrepresentation that reveals a strategic decision to scapegoat vulnerable groups."

'Scourge' of racism

The UN high commissioner for human rights also took aim at racism and restrictions on women's rights.

"Racism remains a scourge," he said.

"People of African descent continue to suffer disproportionately from excessive use of force, including deaths at the hands of law enforcement, in Brazil, the United States, and beyond."

Turk said data gathered by his office showed that women worldwide faced discrimination at more than double the level experienced by men.

In parts of Russia and the United States, there are "severe restrictions on women's reproductive rights" and rights to healthcare, he said, while denouncing laws and practices that limit the rights of women and girls in Iran and Afghanistan.

LGBTQ, migrants

He also took aim at "legal restrictions, hate speech and even violence" targeting LGBTQ communities.

"In West Africa, draconian laws threaten to criminalise consensual same-sex relations," said Turk.

Meanwhile Argentine and US government officials "have made statements vilifying transgender and non-binary people, while restricting their rights", he said.

Turk also said migrants and refugees were being targeted by hate speech, unjust legal restrictions, scapegoating and other forms of discrimination in many countries.

He cited Afghans being forced to return from Pakistan and Iran, and calls in Europe to change the interpretation of rights law on migration governance.

In the United States, the arrest and deportation of large numbers of non-nationals raises "serious concerns", Turk added.

"As people protest against these developments, I urge the authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly, and to uphold human rights in law enforcement," he said, including refraining from calling in the military when civilian authorities can maintain order.