UN to Mark 25 Years of the Durban Anti-Racism Declaration: What to Watch
On Monday, 28 September 2026, the UN General Assembly will hold a high-level meeting to mark 25 years since the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
The meeting is part of the Assembly's 81st session and was ordered by resolution A/Res/80/193. At its 9th and 10th meetings on 24 September, in the morning and afternoon, the Assembly set the arrangements for the commemoration. UN
A short political declaration is expected to be adopted at the anniversary meeting, according to the UN. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says its purpose is to strengthen political commitment at the national, regional and international levels. The anniversary event is listed in the programme for General Assembly High-level Week 2026.
The document being marked is formally called the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, or DDPA. It was adopted at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. The text is 153 pages long and deals with racism, xenophobia — hostility toward people seen as foreign — and oppression of Indigenous people. It is not legally binding on member states, a bit like a joint pledge rather than a law that courts can enforce. Al Jazeera
On history, the language is direct. The Declaration states that slavery and the slave trade are crimes against humanity. It describes apartheid and genocide as sources and forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Its passages on the Middle East receive close study. Clause 63 recognises the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to an independent State. The same clause recognises the right to security for all States in the region, including Israel. Clause 65 recognises the right of refugees to return voluntarily to their homes. An early draft line equating Zionism with racism was removed after opposition from Israel and its Western allies.
In 2001, adoption came by consensus among the vast majority of UN member states. The United States and Israel withdrew from the conference and did not support the declaration.
Commemoration has continued as part of the Durban process. A Durban Review Conference was held in Geneva in April 2009 to assess progress since 2001. A further meeting in 2011 for the 10th anniversary brought leaders to restate commitments to fight racism.
The broader context here is how declaratory politics works at the UN. Non-binding texts do not create legal duties. They create reference language that governments, blocs and advocacy groups later use to frame resolutions, national plans and claims for redress. The detail to watch on 28 September is the wording of the short political declaration, and whether it keeps consensus or shows the same fault lines as the original negotiation. Procedure also bears watching, since mandate, session placement and organizing decisions often shape how a commemoration is received.
