UN: Debate on systemic racism and police violence

Civil society pressure, coming from more than 600 CSOs, was one of the forces behind the UN Human Rights Council holding an urgent debate on systemic racism and police violence against people of African descent in June, amid the wave of protests in the USA and worldwide that followed the police killing of George Floyd in May. The debate, in which George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, gave moving testimony and in which numerous civil society representatives participated, showed the potential of the UN Human Rights Council to scrutinise and take action on breaking human rights events.