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The United Nations mission in Somalia recently commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, reaffirming its commitment to zero tolerance for racial discrimination within the UN system.
To mark the day, the UN SHARE Team, the Anti-racism task force of the UN in Somalia, organized several activities to commemorate the 2025 Anti-Racism Awareness week, including an online town hall meeting, launch of an awareness booth, screening of a movie on the negative effects of racism. UN personnel also participated in an awareness caravan, in which conversations on racism and anti-racism were held at several locations within the UN compound. Finally, many UN Somalia staff members also signed a Pledge Wall, where they committed to taking action against racism.
Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1965, the day is observed annually on 21 March, since 1979, through a series of activities and events to show solidarity with people fighting against racism and racial discrimination.
“Let me begin by underscoring that there is absolutely zero tolerance for racism and racial discrimination in the UN in Somalia,” said the Acting UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, James Swan, at the town hall co-hosted with United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) Director of Mission Support and Officer in Charge, Ms. Qurat ul-Ain Sadozai.
Given the theme of the Anti-racism Week, “Let’s talk About Racism!”, the two officials reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to combating racism and promoting an inclusive and equitable environment.
“For those of you who experience or witness incidents of racial discrimination, I wish to remind you that there are available channels to report racism without fear of retaliation,” Mr. Swan said, adding that, “racial discrimination is prohibited conduct in the UN, with serious consequences.’’
The top UN official emphasised the need for sustained efforts to raise awareness about existing reporting channels, aiming to combat racism and build trust and confidence in the UN’s internal justice mechanisms.
“If we don’t engage in discussions about it, and take action to combat it at interpersonal, institutional and structural levels, we may, in fact, allow it to perpetuate and thus contribute to an environment of disharmony and division, rather than one of dialogue, understanding and inclusion,” said Mr Swan.
Ms. Sadozai commended the SHARE Team for organizing the event to raise awareness on racial discrimination and promote equity and inclusivity.
“This is a stark reminder for all of us to raise our voice in solidarity and make a concerted effort to promote a world free of racial discrimination. Racism continues to impact our world, and addressing it is as important as ever,” said Ms. Sadozai, noting that combating racism resonates with the UN’s four core values of inclusion, integrity, humility and humanity.
“At the UN, we work in a multi-cultural and racially diverse environment, and it is incumbent upon us to individually uphold values of mutual respect, tolerance and equality. There is no place for bias, discrimination, and exclusion within our organization and our operations, and as such, there must be zero tolerance for any form of racism and discrimination.”
Senior UN officials attended the event, including World Food Programme (WFP) Country Representative Elkahdir Daloum, who represented UN Resident and Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Somalia, George Conway. Mr. Daloum praised the appointment of Anti-Racism Advocates and welcomed the inclusion of UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes in efforts to combat racism.
Presentations were made by the Anti-Racism Advocates from the UN in Somalia, Deryck Fritz and Cristina Gavazzo, as well as SHARE Team coordinators Michelle Doerlemann and Mohamoud Ali Ahmed from the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) and Nicolas Kimwele from UNSOS. Additionally, over 350 UN staff from various sectors and Agencies, Funds and Programmes attended virtually.
One of the highlights of the online town hall was the presentation of the results of the SHARE Team’s anti-racism perception survey, the Pulse Check, which gathered data on the self-identification of UN personnel, their understanding of racism, their personal experience with racism in the workplace, and the perception of the diversity of the UN leadership and the workforce in general.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS).