Swedish statement delivered by Permanent Representative Veronika Bard.
Mr. President,
Sweden fully aligns itself with the statement made by the European Union.
Let me begin by re-affirming Sweden’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights of all individuals and our determination to continue to combat all forms of discrimination and racism nationally and globally.
Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Right one would expect that the inherent dignity and equal rights of all individuals would be self-evident, yet an increasing number of people are witnessing a more hate-filled social climate in which racism is a clear component.
As such, States, including Sweden, need to become better at identifying new, different and evolving forms of discrimination, racism and similar forms of hostility in order to adopt adequate measures to combat them. These efforts need to include an intersectional approach and analysis in order to better understand the compounding and differential effect that several factors may have, including sexual orientation and gender identity.
The fight against discrimination, racism and similar forms of hostility needs to be a relentless effort by States, working closely together with civil society and other actors in order to achieve real change. Sweden is committed to this cause.
I thank you.