HRC63 - EU Statement - Interactive dialogue with the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

63^rd session

Interactive dialogue with the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

30 September 2026

EU statement

Mr/Madam Chair,

We thank you for your report and for the important work the group of experts has carried out this year. 

The European Union is deeply committed to combating all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and to promoting pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality.

This commitment extends to migration governance, in line with national competences, including the protection of the human rights of refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants, with particular attention to vulnerable persons, and to ensuring the right to seek asylum and respect for the principle of non-refoulement. Migration management must go hand in hand with respect for the rights of all migrants, without discrimination, including Africans and people of African descent.

The EU’s migration policy, notably the Pact on Migration and Asylum, is human-rights based and seeks to balance strong, well-managed borders with the obligation to respect, protect and fulfil human rights. Measures addressing difficult border situations must remain necessary and proportionate, including in the context of hybrid threats and the instrumentalisation of migration.

Effective, sustainable, voluntary and non-voluntary returns are an essential component of a comprehensive and balanced migration policy. The EU promotes reintegration and increasing voluntary returns, including through cooperation with African partners.

Beyond the EU, human rights are integrated into EU-funded migration interventions, including through capacity-building, independent monitoring and support to civil society and national institutions. The EU also supports IOM and UNHCR’s whole-of-route approach, addressing protection and livelihood conditions along migration routes.

The EU remains committed to ensuring migration fully upholds the human rights of all migrants, without discrimination.