Roundtable Discussion organized by OHCHR ROEU, Bahá’í International Community, UNESCO.

Opening Remarks of Christina Meinecke, OHCHR Representative to the EU, on 24 June 2026, UN House Brussels.

_____________________________________________________________________

Dear guests, colleagues, partners, and friends,

It is a pleasure to open this important dialogue on education, culture, and the eradication of racism.

I would like to welcome you all, both those present here and those joining us online.

We gather today at a moment that calls for both honesty and resolve.

Across Europe, despite strong legal frameworks and policy commitments, racism continues to shape the everyday realities of too many individuals. We see this in persistent discrimination affecting people of African descent, Roma and Travellers, Muslims, and other communities; in unequal access to education, employment, and housing; and in the subtle yet pervasive forms of bias and “othering” that continue to divide our societies. These challenges remind us that racism is not only structural but that it is also deeply embedded in narratives, perceptions, and learned behaviours that are often reproduced across generations.

Today’s dialogue seeks to create a space not only to examine these challenges, but to reflect on how we can address them at their roots.

Our discussions are firmly anchored in international human rights standards.

Article 7 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) calls on States to actively combat prejudices and to promote understanding, tolerance, and friendship among all groups.(1)

The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) recognises education as a central and transformative tool for addressing both the historical roots and contemporary manifestations of racism. (2)

And Article 13.1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) reminds us that education must be directed to the full development of the human personality and to strengthening respect for human rights, dignity, and inclusion. (3)

Today’s roundtable also seeks to contribute to the implementation of the EU Anti-Racism Strategy 2026–2030. The Strategy rightly places education at its core, recognising that lasting change cannot be achieved through laws and policies alone. We must also transform the ways in which we learn, teach, create, and relate to one another. Education and culture are, therefore, not peripheral to the anti-racism agenda, they are foundational.

As we all, I believe, recognize, education is not merely about transmitting knowledge. It is about shaping values, fostering critical thinking, and nurturing the capacity to engage with others in a spirit of dignity and respect.

When approached thoughtfully, it can help individuals recognise prejudice and bias, question inherited assumptions, and develop a sense of shared responsibility for building more just societies. At the same time, informal education through community engagement, peer learning, media, and everyday social interaction plays an equally powerful role in shaping attitudes and behaviours.

Culture, too, carries immense transformative potential. It shapes the stories we tell about who we are, who belongs, and whose voices are valued. It can either reinforce exclusion and hierarchy, or it can open spaces for dialogue, creativity, and mutual recognition. When culture and education work together, they can create powerful opportunities for connection, linking reflection with lived experience and allowing people to encounter diversity as a source of strength rather than division.

To see diversity as a source of richness, creativity, and resilience, where differences are not feared but valued.

And to achieve this, in practical terms, this means re-examining curricula, teaching methods, and cultural narratives to ensure that they do not perpetuate stereotypes or hierarchies, but instead promote inclusion, empathy, and equality.

Importantly, this also requires focusing on youth and recognising young people not only as learners, but as active agents of change. Across Europe, we see inspiring examples of young individuals and communities leading efforts to challenge racism, build bridges, and promote solidarity. Our task is to ensure that education systems and cultural platforms empower them further: equipping them with the tools, confidence, and opportunities to shape more inclusive futures.

Today’s dialogue offers an opportunity to come together across sectors and perspectives to share experiences and explore innovative approaches, to contribute meaningfully to translating the EU Anti-Racism Strategy into concrete, lived change: change that is visible not only in policies, but in classrooms, communities, and everyday interactions.

Thank you.

---

Footnotes

1. “States Parties undertake to adopt immediate and effective measures, particularly in the fields of teaching, education, culture and information, with a view to combating prejudices which lead to racial discrimination and to promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations and racial or ethnical groups [...].”, ICERD, Art. 7.
2. For further detail, please consult DDPA Chapter “Measures of prevention, education and protection aimed at the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the national, regional and international levels”, paras. 80, 95–97; Chapter “Africans and People of African descent” para. 10; Chapter “Measures of prevention, education and protection aimed at the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the national, region”, para. 58; and specifically, Chapter “Education and awareness-raising measures”, paras. 117–120.
3. “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to education. They agree that education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strengthen the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They further agree that education shall enable all persons to participate effectively in a free society, promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and all racial, ethnic or religious groups, and further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.”, ICESCR, Art. 13.1.