OHCHR & EPHA Conference on “The Right to Health for People of African descent” Part 2 of the Series “Racism, Discrimination and Health”
Opening statement by Elena Kountouri Tapiero, Acting Regional Representative, OHCHR, Regional Office for Europe, Brussels
26 to 27 June, 2024 UN House
Good morning and welcome to UN House to in person participants and online ones.
Let me acknowledge and thank the European Public Health Alliance who together with the UN Office for Human Rights and in cooperation with Artikel 1 Midden Nederaland and De Hofnar Present B.V. brought together such a distinguished group of panellists and participants.
Distinguished Academics, Health Practitioners, and leading researchers in the field of health and racism,
Dear representatives of Civil society organizations,
Dear colleagues from UN agencies,
To start let me stress how the profile and the collective expertise and personal commitment of all of you present, as supporters of the anti-racism cause, is a guarantee for success in the formulation and implementation of the anti-racism agenda at the EU and hopefully at the national level.
We are grateful to the EC Anti-racism coordinator for having opened the space for us to participate on issues related to the implementation of the EU anti-racism action plan implementation and on how to fight racism in Europe.
Last year we had a multidisciplinary conference in which we delved on how race is a determinant for health; on what the major health issues faced by racialized communities are; on what the hundreds of international recommendations on the topic are; on introducing the uncomfortable conversation on mental health and most importantly on opening space for participation of social society and individuals.
I would also like to acknowledge the role of the European Public Health Alliance, who are leading EU public health advocates with over 30 years of history in Europe, for having joined forces with the UN Office for Human Rights in addressing through multiple lenses, and partnerships ways forward in elimination racial discrimination.
The collective efforts of organizations like De Hofnar and Article 1, the Dutch National Coordinator against Racism and Discrimination, the German national Discrimination and Racism Monitor, the German Afrozensus, The European Network of Equality Bodies, and representatives of the most prominent academic figures in the field of Racism and Health is proof that together we are stronger in amplifying our common advocacy message.
In this space we are also giving substantive meaning to intersectionality by joining efforts to tackle racism on behalf of both DG Just and DG Sante, and want to congratulate the EC on their commitment to implement such cross cutting principles as participation and accountability. This conference is designed as an open forum for consultation on how the post 2025 EU anti racism action plan should be shaped.
The UN Office for Human Rights has a long-standing history in supporting the international human rights framework, as you know the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is one of the oldest international instruments designed to promote the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.
Article 5 prohibits racial discrimination and guarantees equality in a set of areas related to the right to health: including public health, medical care, social security, and social services. It also requires States to eliminate racial discrimination and guarantee equality in measures aiming to respect, protect and fulfill the right to health.
The definition of racial discrimination in article 1 is the distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise on equal footing of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, social, cultural or any other field of public life. Each one of these words has important significance.
The determinants of racism on health have been well documented and the body of research demonstrating the detrimental impacts of structural racism on health is abundant and constantly growing. There is a high number of international recommendations (more than 300) by treaty bodies and other mechanisms on the right to health of racialized people in the European Union. The remaining challenge is implementation by States And there is a long way to go regarding the full protection of sexual and reproductive rights; access to health; health services free of discrimination, violence and harassment; recognizing the suffering of patients and not minimizing their lived experience; providing accessible medicines and services; having culturally adapted healthcare; giving real meaning to the “highest possible standard of physical and mental health”, as provided for in article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and General Comment 14 of the Committee which defines essential elements of the right to health, such as:
And to fully integrate those in all anti racism and health action plans at the regional and country level.
General recommendation 37 General recommendation 37 on Racial Discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to health elaborated jointly by the WHO and the CERD which clarifies the obligations of states under the ICERD.
In concluding I would like to highlight the crosscutting issue of Human Rights indicators and OHCHR methodology which was referenced in EC common guiding Principles for national action plans against racism and racial discrimination. This is yet to be implemented in European Union countries, despite the enormous work provided by FRA in its Being Black in Europe reports. States and the EU must make progress in their collective understanding of the importance of implementing human rights indicators and advance with the strengthening of their administrative registries as a primary information source on racism.
Finally, let me narrate a personal experience of observing racist attitudes by police enforcement.
Christine, a friend of mine, came to pick me up at the airport in Geneva. She parked at the short-term parking and was waiting for my arrival. She was driving my car a rather long, old, blue Audi A4. Christien is softly spoken. She has her driver’s license, her residency permit and a job.
She is from Togo. A police patrol drove by, the only person they checked in the car park was her. She was the only black person in the parking lot. As I was approaching the car I could hear that the police person was raising his voice, and Christine felt intimated and was becoming more and more silent. The tone and volume of the voice only subsided when I came along and asked if there was a problem with a friend driving my car and coming to pick me up.
This story, like many others, makes the link with structural and historical racism and underlines that as long as we do not address the root causes related to structural racism, we will continue to fail to recognize, and thus combat established patterns, stereotypes, hierarchical attitudes and classifications, leading to unequal representation and distribution of power and resources that are at the core of racism and racial discrimination.
I wish all of us a great session today and tomorrow.
