HRC62 - EU Statement - Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
62nd session
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism
2 July 2026
EU statement
Thank you Mr President,
The European Union thanks the Special Rapporteur for the interesting reports on racism presented.
As the World Cup unites all States, reminding us all of the universal language of sport, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to combat all forms of racism in sport. The EU’s Anti-Racism Strategy identifies sport as an environment where racism and hate speech are prone to occur, and develops specific targeted actions to counter this phenomenon.
However, the EU’s Anti Racism Strategy also recognises that combating racism is not only a matter of legal enforcement, but also about shaping attitudes and fostering inclusive societies. As such, the European Union sees sport as a social space where people from all different backgrounds come together, where stereotypes can be challenged, and where values such as respect and equality can be promoted. Investing in this potential remains the best way to use sport as a catalyst for social cohesion.
As you highlighted in the report, for this to take place, disparities which affect equal participation in sports need to be addressed. To this end, the EU supports education-based initiatives and youth sports through its ‘Erasmus+ Sport’ programme, promoting inclusion for groups facing barriers, and addressing racism, xenophobia, as well as gender discrimination.
We thank you therefore for your intersectional approach adopted in your report, in particular in relation to participation of women and girls in sport, and would like to know: what best practices have you identified for addressing intersectional discrimination between race and gender in grassroots sports?
Regarding your second report, the European Union would like to recall the words of the previous Special Rapporteur, which noted that the Russian Federation has sought to justify its military invasion and territorial aggression in Ukraine on the purported basis of eliminating neo-Nazism, and that the use of Neo-nazism as a pretext in such a way seriously undermines genuine attempts to combat this heinous ideology.
I thank you.