International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination — United Nations convention and human rights instrument
ICERD, entering into force in 1969, is the primary binding international legal instrument obligating states to eliminate racial discrimination and criminalize hate speech.
Key Facts
- Adopted by UN General Assembly
- 21 December 1965
- Entered into force
- 4 January 1969
- Signatory countries (as of July 2020)
- 88 countries
- State parties (as of July 2020)
- 182 countries
- Monitoring body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Rising global concern over institutionalized racism, apartheid, and racial segregation in the mid-20th century prompted the United Nations to pursue a legally binding instrument. Prior declarations had proven insufficient, and member states sought enforceable commitments to combat racial discrimination at an international level.
The UN General Assembly adopted ICERD on 21 December 1965, and the convention entered into force on 4 January 1969. It obligates state parties to eliminate racial discrimination, promote interracial understanding, criminalize hate speech, and ban membership in racist organizations, while also establishing an individual complaints mechanism.
With 182 state parties as of 2020, ICERD became one of the most widely ratified human rights treaties. Its individual complaints mechanism generated a body of jurisprudence on racial discrimination law, and the CERD committee provides ongoing monitoring and accountability for state compliance with the convention's obligations.