U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about the release of the 2021 Congressional Report Pursuant to the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act at the Department of State in Washington, July 12, 2021.
The Biden administration has invited United Nations experts on racism and human rights to visit the U.S. in an effort to address domestic racial justice and equality.
“Responsible nations must not shrink from scrutiny of their human rights record; rather, they should acknowledge it with the intent to improve,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement released late Tuesday.
“I urge all UN member states to join the United States in this effort, and confront the scourge of racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia. Because when all people – regardless of their race or ethnicity – are free to live up to their full potential, our collective security is strengthened.”
The State Department has reached out to the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism and the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues for an official visit, Blinken said in a statement. Invitations to other UN experts who “report and advise on thematic human rights issues” will be forthcoming.
