UN slams 'pushback' against diversity
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies are facing a pushback around the world as part of a strategic shift to scapegoat vulnerable groups, the UN rights chief Volker Turk said Monday.
Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has led a crusade against programmes promoting DEI.
One of Trump's first acts was to terminate all federal government DEI programmes.
Companies that implement such policies are threatened with prosecution, and several major brands, including Meta, Target and McDonald's, have either abolished their DEI programmes or drastically reduced them.
However, this backtracking is not limited to the United States, said Turk -- who rarely mentions Trump by name -- in a global overview speech to the UN Human Rights Council.
"Social tensions are often rooted in systemic, long-standing discrimination based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, migrant status, caste, and other characteristics," he said.
"Policies to tackle such discrimination have had important successes in all regions of the world," he added.
"Some call these DEI policies. I call them standing up for equality.
"When we look at the pushback against such policies, we see it for what it is: a fundamental misrepresentation that reveals a strategic decision to scapegoat vulnerable groups."
- 'Scourge' of racism -
The UN high commissioner for human rights also took aim at racism and restrictions on women's rights.
"Racism remains a scourge," he said.
"People of African descent continue to suffer disproportionately from excessive use of force, including deaths at the hands of law enforcement, in Brazil, the United States, and beyond."
Turk said data gathered by his office showed that women worldwide faced discrimination at more than double the level experienced by men.
In parts of Russia and the United States, there are "severe restrictions on women's reproductive rights" and rights to healthcare, he said, while denouncing laws and practices that limit the rights of women and girls in Iran and Afghanistan.
- LGBTQ, migrants -
He also took aim at "legal restrictions, hate speech and even violence" targeting LGBTQ communities.
"In West Africa, draconian laws threaten to criminalise consensual same-sex relations," said Turk.
Meanwhile Argentine and US government officials "have made statements vilifying transgender and non-binary people, while restricting their rights", he said.
Turk also said migrants and refugees were being targeted by hate speech, unjust legal restrictions, scapegoating and other forms of discrimination in many countries.
He cited Afghans being forced to return from Pakistan and Iran, and calls in Europe to change the interpretation of rights law on migration governance.
In the United States, the arrest and deportation of large numbers of non-nationals raises "serious concerns", Turk added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
2 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Gulf faces nuclear catastrophe if Bushehr is hit, says IAEA
TDT | agencies A military strike on Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor could unleash a nuclear catastrophe across the Gulf, the UN's nuclear watchdog chief warned, calling for urgent restraint amid spiralling tensions. Even targeting the power lines that supply the facility could trigger a meltdown, said Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 'This would cause a very high release of radioactivity,' Grossi told the UN Security Council, noting that Bushehr contains thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. 'Countries of the region have reached out directly to me in recent hours to express concern,' he added. Grossi warned that the fallout would not stop at Iran's borders. In a worst-case scenario, areas within several hundred kilometres of the site — including major population centres in Gulf Arab states — would face emergency evacuation orders, food restrictions, and the need for iodine distribution to counter radiation exposure. While the IAEA has not detected any radiation leak so far during Israel's ongoing military campaign against Iran, Grossi stressed that Bushehr — the Middle East's first civilian nuclear reactor — remains a high-risk target. He confirmed that, as of now, the site appears to have been spared. Bushehr's construction began in the 1970s under the Western-backed Shah of Iran. German engineers initially led the project, which was later completed and maintained by Russia after the 1990s. Grossi urged all sides to pursue diplomatic solutions, reiterating the IAEA's role in verifying Iran's compliance with non-proliferation commitments. 'We can guarantee, through a watertight inspection system, that nuclear weapons are not being developed in Iran,' he said, offering once again to personally mediate a resolution.
Gulf Insider
6 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
Alarming Fox Report Says Tactical Nukes 'Not Off The Table' For Trump's Iran Response
The Pentagon's Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has reportedly informed American officials that destroying Iran's heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility might require the use of a nuclear weapon, based on The Guardian . Officials, briefed on the limitations of the GBU-57 — a 30,000-pound conventional bunker-buster bomb — are worried that even if President Trump give the order it may not be powerful enough to reach and destroy the deeply buried site. The report described that conventional bombs might have to be used to soften the terrain, followed by the dropping of a tactical nuclear weapon from a B-2 stealth bomber. The latest reporting has sought to clarify that President Trump is not considering the nuclear option, nor has it yet to be formally presented to him by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. From fresh 'anonymous' White House statement present contradictory information. So very quickly, here we are … there's prominent public discourse about the 'possibility' or eventual 'necessity' of a nuclear bomb. As the Quincy Institute's Eli Clifton observes: It's disturbing but not surprising how the entire Executive Branch communications apparatus can be activated into total war-hysteria mode seemingly overnight. Israel is urging the US under Trump to target Fordow with whatever it takes, given it lacks the capability to carry out such a strike. But at least it's 'comforting' that a tactical nuke is off the table, for now… or wait: 'none of the options are off the table' – a fresh FOX report claims, citing a senior White House official. Heinrich on Iran: An article stated that Trump was not considering a tactical nuke— that it was not one of the options that was presented to him. I was just told by a top official here that none of that report is true— that none of the options are off the table — Acyn (@Acyn) June 19, 2025 All this is premised on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Iran is in fact pursuing a nuclear weapon. Dangerously the White House seems to be siding with Israeli intelligence over the assessment of the US intelligence community, as presented by DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who may have already been sidelined in White House Situation Room discussions. * * * The Publication Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists are meanwhile warning that it's possible that the Fordow enrichment facility could be destroyed and yet still it won't make the Iranian nuclear threat go away … If the Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program, started on June 13, is to prove successful in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, then a necessary—but not sufficient—step will involve the elimination of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. At the Fordow plant, located near the city of Qom, the Iranians have enough centrifuges (including IR-6s, their more advanced type) and uranium hexafluoride gas to produce several nuclear weapons. They could probably produce enough weapon-grade (90 percent) enriched uranium for one nuclear weapon within five to six days. Perhaps more important, Fordow itself is a hardened facility, built within a mountain and protected from many forms of attack. It could—in theory—continue to operate even after other nuclear facilities in the country have been destroyed, with its material then fueling nuclear weapons to be produced clandestinely. If Israel decides to continue down the military path against Iran's nuclear program, it has no choice but to ensure that the Fordow enrichment plant no longer poses a threat.
Gulf Insider
6 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Will Arrive In Mideast Waters This Weekend
The USS Nimitz carrier strike group is en route to Middle East waters and is expected to arrive this weekend, a US official tells Fox news on Friday, after the carrier departed the South China Sea on Monday. This is the latest confirmation that the US Navy will now have two aircraft carriers in the Middle East at the same time. While reports previewed this movement earlier this week, making it no surprise, this is the first revelation of a more precise timeline. As for the prior reporting via military sources, Stars & Stripes stated, 'The aircraft carrier and its strike group left Bremerton, Wash., in March for the Indo-Pacific region for what is expected to be the ship's final deployment. Now, the Nimitz and the warships sailing with it will join the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Middle East, the defense official said. Currently, the USSCarl Vinson is already positioned in the Arabian Sea, while the Navy has also lately confirmed deployment of the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Mediterranean, presumably as 'back-up' – though that mission had long been shechuled. As for the Nimitz, itsis currently underway westbound from the Strait of Malacca. So this will place in total three carriers within reach of the Middle East theatre of operations. Stars & Stripes has recently offered the following background on the last week of the Iran-Israel aerial war: Each carrier strike group typically brings with it one attack submarine, one cruiser and two or more destroyers, in addition to an air wing of F/A-18 Super Hornets and (on some carriers) F-35 Lightning strike fighters. The overall package delivers a powerful land-attack punch, but also enhances regional air defense with a combination of anti-aircraft, anti-drone and anti-ballistic-missile capabilities. Two destroyers operating in Central Command have already been involved in defeating Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel over the past week, a Navy official told Norfolk's WAVY. USS The Sullivans and USS Arleigh Burke both expended interceptors over the weekend to shoot down Iranian attacks, the official confirmed. President Trump conveyed via the White House Press Secretary on Thursday afternoon that he will make a decision on striking Iran within the next two weeks. Trump words and 'warning' to Tehran were as follows: 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.'
