The discussions, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, follow the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of the police in the United States last month. This sparked worldwide street protests including in Switzerland.
The unanimous decision came as the Geneva-based councilExternal link resumed its 43rd session, which had been put on hold three months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the lead up to the session, Burkina Faso called for an urgent debate on racism on behalf of African nations. More than 600 non-governmental organisations also made an appeal for a debate.
“The death of George Floyd is unfortunately not an isolated incident,” said Dieudonné Désiré Sougouri, Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the UN.
It is only the fifth time in the history of the council that it will discuss the issue of “systemic racism”.
Only some delegates were physically present in Geneva on Monday and they had to wear protective face masks as part of Covid-19 health safety regulations. Others participated in the session via remote link.
Among the numerous resolutions to be discussed over this week is the launch of a fact-finding mission to Libya to examine human rights violations. Switzerland has sponsored the resolution.
More
More
Switzerland joins debate about removing controversial memorials
This content was published on
Global anti-racism protests after the death of George Floyd have reignited the debate about contentious monuments in the US and Europe.
Automated driving on Swiss motorways is theoretically possible from March
This content was published on
It will be theoretically possible to hand over the steering wheel to technology but no such system has been submitted for official approval yet.
Heated atmosphere at Swiss rally against AfD politician Alice Weidel
This content was published on
Around 250 people demonstrated "against the right" and the German AfD politician Alice Weidel on Saturday afternoon in Einsiedeln.
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Is racism a problem in Switzerland? A look at the latest numbers
This content was published on
When it comes to racial discrimination, the situation in Switzerland is hardly comparable to that of the United States. But some issues persist.
Racism in the US: a cautionary tale for Switzerland
This content was published on
American Christine Worrell, a Swiss resident, lays out the origins and manifestations of racism in both places she's called home.
Swiss call for humanitarian access in war-torn Syria
This content was published on
In a statement published on Friday, the Swiss foreign ministryExternal link urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law, saying the fighting in Idlib province has had serious consequences for the civilian population. The ministry also wants the warring parties to grant humanitarian organisation permanent access to the population in need. Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Slovenia…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.