International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is a United Nations human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly on 21 December 1965 and in force since 4 January 1969, with 182 parties as of July 2020. It commits ratifying states to eliminate racial discrimination and promote understanding among all races, defining racial discrimination as any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin that impairs the enjoyment of human rights, and it uniquely among the core UN human rights treaties requires parties to criminalize hate speech and membership in racist organizations. States must pursue anti-discrimination policies, prevent segregation and apartheid, and promote tolerance through education. A Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination monitors compliance through state reports and, for states that accept the mechanism, individual complaints, which have produced a modest but significant body of case law.