Newsletter E-CONNECT No.34 is out

On the 19th of December, we released our new issue of E-CONNECT. If you have not subscribed to our newsletter, you can do it from here! Back number is also available.

Feature story

New UN expert guidelines on preventing and combating racial profiling

The General Recommendation No.36 on “Preventing and Combating Racial Profiling by Law Enforcement Officials” was recently adopted by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). It clarifies the human rights obligations under the Convention as well as a definition of racial profiling. The Committee paid a particular attention to racial bias and discrimination in algorithmic profiling, highlighting one of the major challenges posed by emerging technologies in the protection and promotion of human rights of racialised people. More >>

CERD continues to monitor the state of racial discrimination globally

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the CERD concluded its 102nd session on 24 November which was held online. At the session, the Committee issued follow-up letters to Cuba, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro and the Republic of Korea, the lists of issues prior to reporting on Guyana and Monaco, and letters to Canada, Panama, the Russian Federation, Thailand and the United States of America under the Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure. The Committee adopted a view on ‘Lars-Anders Ågren et al v. Sweden’. It found that Sweden violated the indigenous Sami people’s land rights and the right to an effective protection and remedy, in the context of the mining concessions on their traditional territory. IMADR published a summary of the session. More >>

Report “Racism in East Asia” exposes raclialisation of the COVID-19 pandemic

The Organising Committee for East Asia regional consultation published the report on “Racism in East Asia”. It is an outcome document of the online series which examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racialised communities, especially on migrants, in Hong Kong, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and the effectiveness of domestic law in the protection from racial discrimination. The Organising Committee is formed by civil society organisations from each country/territory for which IMADR functions as the secretariat. More >>

IMADR in the world

Joint statement on International Migrants Day: Stop the pandemic of racism in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic
On the International Migrants Day, human rights NGOs in Hong Kong, Japan and the Republic of Korea expressed unequivocal commitment to human rights of all migrants in East Asia and to progress toward a world free from racism and racial discrimination. More >>

IMADR and its concerns

Hate speech against minorities in social media and intersecting discrimination
At the 13th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues, IMADR urged the Special Rapporteur to reflect minorities’ intersecting identities such as gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability in his recommendations to States and other stakeholders to tackle online hate speech effectively. More >>

IMADR at the UN

CERD holds 103rd session in April 2021
The Committee’s 103rd session will be held in April 2021. Considering the pandemic situation, the Committee decided to review two States parties in an online format, if in-person meetings remain not possible. More >>

Publication

Submission: Joint NGO report on racial discrimination in Japan
For the consideration of the 7th periodic report of Japan by the UN Human Rights Committee (CCPR), the Japan NGO Network for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ERD Net) submitted a joint NGO report on the situation of indigenous peoples, minorities and migrants in the country. More >>