A/HRC/RES/48/18 structural inequalities and fundamental problems in various areas of social, economic, civil and political life, and exacerbated existing inequalities, and recalling that systemic and structural racism and racial discrimination further exacerbate inequality in access to health care and treatment, leading to racial disparities in health outcomes and a higher rate of mortality and morbidity among individuals and groups facing racial discrimination, Expressing concern also that Asians and people of Asian descent have been subject to racism, racial discrimination, hate crimes and violence, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and requesting States to address this issue, Recognizing that the design and use of emerging digital technologies can exacerbate and compound existing inequalities, many of which exist on racial, ethnic and national origin grounds, and that a major concern is the prevalence of emerging digital technologies in determining everyday outcomes in employment, education, health care and criminal justice, which introduces the risk of systemized discrimination on an unprecedented scale, Noting that, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 42/29 of 27 September 2019, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights held an expert seminar on 21 and 22 October 2020, at which legal experts considered the issues and elements relating to a draft additional protocol to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination prepared by the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination at its tenth session, Regretting that, owing to COVID-19 restrictions, the Ad Hoc Committee was unable to hold its eleventh meeting as originally scheduled,2 Recalling that the General Assembly stipulated, in the annex to its resolution 69/16 of 18 November 2014 by which the Assembly adopted by consensus the programme of activities for the International Decade for People of African Descent, that the implementation of the programme of activities was an integral part of the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, Recalling also General Assembly resolution 73/262 of 22 December 2018, in which the Assembly decided to establish a permanent forum on people of African descent, and therefore inviting all relevant United Nations bodies and entities to refer to the Permanent Forum as reflected in paragraph 12 of that resolution, Underlining the importance of removing legal obstacles and eliminating discriminatory practices that hamper individuals, in particular Africans and people of African descent, from participating fully in the public and political life of the countries in which they live, including the lack of the exercise of their full citizenship rights, Noting the efforts made by the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and also those made by the other Durban follow-up mechanisms, namely the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards, the Group of Independent Eminent Experts on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, and at the Durban Review Conference held in April 2009, and noting also the initiatives taken to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, Deploring the recent incidents of excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers against peaceful demonstrators defending the rights of Africans and of people of African descent, and recalling Human Rights Council resolution 43/1 of 19 June 2020, in which the Council strongly condemned the continuing racially discriminatory and violent practices perpetrated by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent, and taking note of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights submitted to the Council pursuant to that resolution,3 2 3 See A/HRC/48/85. A/HRC/47/53. 3