World Conference against Racism

UN leaders are marking 25 years since the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the landmark framework agreed at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in South Africa. Speaking at a commemorative event, UN officials called for renewed commitment to dismantling systemic discrimination, warning that racism and racial inequality remain widespread around the world despite decades of pledges.

A record number of countries boycotted a United Nations event marking the 25th anniversary of the Durban conference, which critics have long accused of harboring anti-Israel bias. The gathering, tied to the 2001 World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa, drew pushback from numerous states citing the conference's association with antisemitism and the singling out of Israel.

The United Nations is holding a commemoration of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the 2001 anti-racism framework adopted at the World Conference Against Racism in South Africa. Coverage is focusing on what will be on the meeting's agenda and which member states and leaders plan to attend, with attention on divisions among Western countries that have previously boycotted Durban-related events over accusations of antisemitism at earlier conferences.

The United Nations has scheduled a high-level meeting on the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action for 28 September 2026, with morning and afternoon sessions at UN headquarters. The meeting will address the international framework adopted at the 2001 World Conference against Racism, focusing on combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance worldwide.