Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 47/21, in the present report, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights examines calls for reparatory justice
presented in his agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality,
building on recommendations by the Secretary-General and United Nations human rights
mechanisms.
The High Commissioner highlights the role of States and others in confronting
legacies of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism, including
dismantling structures and systems that perpetuate systemic racism at all levels. The High
Commissioner reaffirms that reparatory justice requires a multi-pronged approach that is
context-specific, intersectional, grounded in international human rights law and designed
through meaningful consultation with and the participation of people of African descent.
Building a reparatory justice momentum requires mobilizing all of society, the creation and
reinforcement of existing networks and solidarity across equality movements.
The High Commissioner calls for renewed leadership and vision, through creative,
effective and comprehensive reparatory justice responses, as a critical component of
dismantling systemic racism.
