29 November-1 December 2023, São Paulo
Hosted by the Government of Brazil


Race to the Top

Putting racial equity and justice at the forefront of development agendas
 

The third edition of the Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, from 29 November to 1 December 2023. 

This edition will focus on the importance of placing race at the center of developing and implementing strategies for socioeconomic development. Government officials, including ministers, policymakers, practitioners, academics and members of civil society and artistic communities, will be invited to discuss effective strategies to address systemic racism. 

The 2023 issue will mark the launch of the UNESCO Network of Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Officials, with the goal of bolstering the development of innovative and inclusive policy solutions towards peace, equity and non-discrimination. There will also be the announcement of new UNESCO initiatives. 


Programme

The agenda will cover various topics such as building inclusive policies; advancing gender equality; enhancing the capacities of civil society; approaching artificial intelligence and its role in perpetuating racism; protecting the rights of indigenous peoples; bolstering the roles of cities, civic spaces, artistic and academic communities; and leveraging social philanthropy to address racial inequity.  

High-level representatives from Governments, Mayors from the Intertional Coalition of

Inclusive and Sustainable Cities - ICCAR, public policy experts, academia, scientists, civil society actors, NGOs, artists and creatives, the private sector and media will exchange ideas and recommendations on the way forward. 

Day 1 - Wednesday, 29 November 2023

9:00 – 9:30 – Opening Ceremony 

9:30 – 12:00 – Ministerial Panel: Equal Before the Law: How come racism still persists?  

12:00 – 13:30 – Lunch Break 

13:30 – 14:30 – Scrub the Data: Is equality data the answer?  

14:30 – 15:30 – The Cost of Racism: Evaluating what societies have to lose (and have already lost)  

15:30 – 16:00 – Coffee Break 

16:00 – 17:00 – It Takes a Village: Building the capacities of civil society  

17:00 – 18:00 – Unlearning hate: How do we confront racism, hate speech and violent pasts through education? 



Day 2 – Thursday, 30 November 2023

9:00 – 10:00 – From Local to Global: Cities and their roles in the worldwide anti-racism efforts  

10:00 – 11:00 – Resilience against Racism: Building media and information literacy and rights-respecting platform governance  

11:00 – 12:00 – Racism not Race: Unraveling history and memory 

12:00 – 13:30 – Lunch Break 

13:30 – 14:30 – “Their” Culture is Our Culture: Protecting indigenous peoples’ rights  

14:30 – 15:30 – Break with the Status Quo: Advancing gender-based resilience  

15:30 – 16:00 – Coffee Break  

16:00 – 17:00 – Say it Different: Gendered language and women’s participation in the labour market  

17:00 – 17:30 – Fireside Chat with Minister Stephen Par Kuol, Minister for Peacebuilding (South Sudan) and Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO

17:30 – 18:30 – Melting pot: Optimizing the “Arab Latinos!” project  


Day 3 - Friday, 1 December 2023

9:00 – 10:00 – Ending Disability Discrimination through more Inclusive Policy Frameworks  

10:00 – 11:00 – Labor Rights and Jobs with Dignity for Everyone: Combatting Racism and Discrimination  

11:00 – 12:00 – Let’s Talk: The impact of narratives on discrimination against migrants 

12:00 – 13:30 – Lunch Break 

13:30 – 14:30 – Pride in our Laws: Advancing LGBTQIA+ rights  

14:30 – 15:30 – Transforming MEN’talities: Engaging men and boys for gender equality 

15:30 – 16:00 – Coffee Break  

16:00 – 17:00 – The Ball is in Our Court: Using sport as a tool to combat racism  

17:00 – 18:00 - System Re-set: Tackling racism and discrimination in generative AI 

18:00 – 19:00 – Closing Ceremony