U.S., Mexican and Canadian leaders met Jan. 10 to discuss and sign a declaration promoting anti-racism, inclusivity and equal societies, especially in democratic societies.
The declaration was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly and Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón, according to a State Department release of the remarks. The North American Declaration on Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice was signed in Mexico City, Mexico.
“I launched the North American Leaders Summit together with @m_ebrard and @melaniejoly by signing the declaration on the North American Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice, which reflects our shared commitment to advance these issues within our countries,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a post on Twitter.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Mélanie Joly said the declaration was a historic step in their work to eradicate deep-seated injustice, according to the State Department release.
“Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to succeed, no matter their race, religion, gender identity or orientation,” Joly said in her remarks.
Blinken said the declaration recognizes that, to improve the lives of each nation’s people, it’s in their interest to ensure all individuals and communities can reach their full potential within their countries, across North America and the world, according to his remarks shared by the State Department on YouTube. A stable working relationship among the countries is the right thing to do, he said.
Joly spoke of antisemitism and Islamaphobia on the rise in Canada and vowed to take further action with the support of the U.S. and Mexico in the released remarks. She said ridding societies of intolerance will not be easy, but it is necessary. Her country is not immune to intolerance, with anti-indigenous, anti-black, anti-Asian and anti-Semitic hate sharply on the rise.
“Muslim communities in Canada have experienced several horrific, deadly Islamophobic attacks in recent years. That is why we must take further action. In our upcoming action on combating hate, we will address this head-on," she said, according to the release remarks.
Ebrard spoke about slavery missing from Mexican history and educational text, saying many studies have been done to assess the situation of racism in the country, according to the release.
“Racism in Mexico is a synthesis of the inequalities – gender inequalities, many other inequalities, racial inequalities – and we've made great efforts so far to dismantle the culture of racism," he said, according to the release.
"Good to sit down with @m_ebrard and @melaniejoly and reaffirm our nations' shared values and commitment to working together toward a more democratic, secure and prosperous North America- as #PartnersAlliesFriends," Blinken said in a Twitter post.
