Statement by H.E. Archbishop Christophe Z. EL KASSIS at the General Debate of the High-Level Meeting to Mark the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

By H. E. Archbishop Christophe Z. EL KASSISApostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations

New York, 28 September 2026

Mr. President,

My Delegation welcomes the convening of this High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

“Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance has regrettably not improved; indeed it has perhaps deteriorated, at a time when the movement of peoples has continued to increase and the intermingling of cultures and multi-ethnicity have become ‘social facts’.”[1]

The God-given dignity of the human person is central to building a true international community where the universal common good can be achieved. Despite aspirations, the unity of the human family has not yet become reality due to materialistic and nationalistic ideologies which contradict the values of the human person. In particular, any theory or form of racism and racial discrimination is morally unacceptable.[2]

Furthermore, in this era social justice must also grapple with the environment shaped by digital technologies with new forms of exclusion, prejudice and discrimination. In the digital age, therefore, a just social order must subject the use of data and technology to public oversight, with the dignity of the human person and the common good as its guiding principles.[3]

Mr. President,

The Durban Declaration rightly recognizes with deep concern intolerance against religious communities and the emergence of hostile acts and violence against them because of their religious beliefs.[4] My Delegation welcomes the fact that the present Political Declaration explicitly recognizes such instances, including acts of Christianophobia alongside Islamophobia and Antisemitism.

In the years ahead, global political support must be more than just a formula. It requires mobilization of political will and the active participation of civil society, including religious leaders. All these can play a unique role in fostering cooperation and contact between diverse racial groups.[5]

Thank you, Mr. President.

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[1] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Contribution to World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, August 2001, n. 4.

[2] Cfr. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, 433.

[3] Cfr. Pope Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 80.

[4] Cfr. Durban Declaration (2001), 59.

[5] Cf. Programme of Action (2001), 215.