Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, told the ongoing 47th session of the Human Rights Council that the murder of George Floyd in the United States on May 25, 2020, was a tipping point, which had shifted the world's attention to the human rights violations routinely endured by Africans and people of African descent.

 

In an interactive dialogue with the Human Rights Council on systemic racism, Bachelet said that her office had received information about at least 190 deaths of people of African descent by law enforcement officials. She said that 98 percent of these cases happened in Europe, Latin America and North America.

 

She urged the relevant states to acknowledge the systemic nature of racism and to show stronger political will to ensure racial justice.

 

Urging human rights-based policy making, Bachelet also encouraged states to carry out a human rights audit of policies and practices related to law enforcement.

 

To reduce crime and increase safety, she said, greater efforts should be made to recruit and include people of African descent in law enforcement, the criminal justice system and policy making.