Global Extractivism and Racial Equality A/HRC/41/54

This report examines the issue of racial equality in the context of extractivism, critiquing the pitfalls of an ahistorical, “colorblind” approach that ignores the systemic racial inequalities underpinning the extractivism economy. It highlights the exploitation of resource-rich territories in the global South, where communities living near extraction sites disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental and human rights violations, while the global North and transnational corporations benefit. The report develops a structural racial equality analysis at a global level, illustrating the unequal distribution of power among States and corporations, alongside a localized analysis that underscores the racially discriminatory impacts on affected communities. Finally, it calls for reforms grounded in international human rights obligations and racial equality frameworks, offering recommendations to ensure justice and tackle global structural inequality rooted in sovereign and economic disparities.