South Africa: Durban Conference 25 Years On - Racism and Xenophobia Persist - Act Now

What the report says

In a commentary published by Daily Maverick and distributed via AllAfrica, Mandi Mudarikwa marks the 25th anniversary of the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, as a reminder that the commitments made there still need practical follow-through. The piece says the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action helped shape the global response to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

The article argues that the core challenge is not a lack of principles, but the gap between promises and implementation. It points to the continuing effects of colonialism, slavery and apartheid, and says structural racism and other forms of discrimination remain embedded in many societies. It also stresses that human rights commitments such as equality, privacy, freedom of speech, and access to health and education only matter if governments and institutions make them real in daily life.

Mudarikwa frames legal advocacy and strategic litigation as one way to push governments and other power holders to dismantle discriminatory systems and advance rights across different legal settings. The commentary suggests that the Durban framework still has value, but only if states treat it as a mandate for action rather than a symbolic statement.

More broadly, the article reflects a wider international debate about how to turn anti-racism pledges into measurable policy change. That context matters because the Durban conference remains one of the most significant global meetings on racism, and its legacy continues to shape human rights advocacy today.