Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Statement as Delivered by Sarah Creedon
Delegation of the United States of America
UN Human Rights Council 49th Session
March 22, 2022
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Sadly, we must use this opportunity to denounce the Russian Federation’s grotesque, fabricated pretext for invading Ukraine on the grounds that it is protecting minorities. The world community will judge these transparent lies and hold President Putin accountable for his wanton slaughter and his abject destruction in Ukraine.
Diversity strengthens open, inclusive societies. The United States is proud to pursue a whole-of-government effort to ensure we model the best principles of diversity both in our institutions and among those who serve as independent experts on multilateral bodies.
This includes supporting successful campaigns for leading human rights experts serving on the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in addition to our support for U.S. candidates running for seats on the Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues and the Human Rights Committee.
We acknowledge the disproportionate burdens that members of minority groups bear politically, economically, and societally, especially during this time of global crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep, embedded societal inequalities, particularly those faced by members of racial, national, gender, sexual, ethnic, religious, tribal and linguistic minorities, as well as by persons living with disabilities. Equity will remain at the very center of our path forward in the fight against COVID-19.
Our question is: What are key metrics on which open societies should focus to improve quality of life for their most marginalized communities?
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Thank you.