UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the international community on Friday to unite against the "persistent" challenge of racism.

Addressing the General Assembly, Guterres appealed to all member states to take "concrete actions" to combat racism, including through legislation, policies, and more thorough collection of tracking data.

"Racism continues to poison institutions, social structures, and everyday life in every society. It continues to be a driver of persistent inequality. And it continues to deny people their fundamental human rights," he said.

"It destabilizes societies, undermines democracies, erodes the legitimacy of governments, and stymies an inclusive and sustainable recovery from COVID-19. Racism is also a catalyst of coarsening public discourse that normalizes hate, denies dignity, and spurs violence," he added./aa