General Debate on Item 3
Human Rights Council – 54th Session
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
As Delivered by Ambassador Michèle Taylor
Thank you, Mr. President.
As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I want to call special attention to Article 27, which states that “everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community”.
The United States is a diverse nation of people from many backgrounds, and we strive every day to ensure all cultures are respected and valued.
This year the White House released the first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities.
Last month, President Biden established the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, a designation that honors tribal nations and Indigenous Peoples by protecting nearly one million acres of ancestral homelands, including sacred ancestral places and their historically and scientifically important features.
Having established the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, President Biden has also called for the newly announced National Museum of the American Latino to be built in the heart of Washington, our nation’s capital.
The United States embraces and celebrates the rich cultures of people of African descent in the United States and throughout the world through our work with the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent and the creation of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States.
Through art, music, food, theater, fashion, books, language, and traditions, culture is all around us.
Mahatma Gandhi once said that a nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. It is crucial that all countries respect and embrace the many cultures within their borders and around the globe.
I thank you.
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