The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has denounced the growing feelings of hatred among peoples stemming from discriminatory and racist measures based on religion, race or gender in some societies, and called on the international community to consider more effective means to address this phenomenon.
Saudi Arabia's speech, delivered by a member of the official delegation to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 20, 2025, during the discussions of the fourth item of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, comes in light of Saudi Arabia's continued practices that enshrine racism and discrimination in its laws.
According to the European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights, migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to face discrimination in the labor market, the judicial system, and elsewhere. Saudi Arabia continues to apply the racist kafala system to many professions, which legitimizes discrimination and violations. In addition, laws perpetuate gender discrimination, especially the wage gap and the right to citizenship, among others.
The speech considered that Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. The organization considers the words of the official delegation before the Human Rights Council to be part of the process of washing the image of Saudi Arabia, especially since the reality confirms its widespread violation of international law and its own obligations, including the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The most prominent evidence of this is the continued sentencing to death of minors who have confirmed that they were tortured in prisons.