GENEVA: Progress in combating racism is hitting a point at which it may be reversed, the UN rights chief warned Saturday (Mar 21), saying hate speech was spreading unchecked.

Hatemongers have notched successes in sowing distrust among societies, Volker Turk said on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

From the adoption of global frameworks to combat racism, to national anti-discrimination laws, and the acknowledgement of historical injustices, "we have made progress on the long road towards a more just society", Turk said in a statement.

"But we are approaching a checkpoint - a moment when this progress is being questioned, delayed, and even reversed.

"This checkpoint was set up by those who thrive on division and polarisation. It is reinforced by discriminatory structures and sustained by the corrosive logic of dehumanisation.

"Because while we may no longer segregate people on buses, too often, we still do so in our thinking and our ways of life."

Turk said racial discrimination remains the most common ground for discrimination, "causing real pain to millions of people".

"Hate speech is spreading unchecked, including against migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers," he said.

"Those who propagate hatred have clearly succeeded in sowing distrust and chaos in our societies."

But Turk said humanity's quest for justice and dignity "will always prevail over delusional supremacist ideas".

The UN high commissioner for human rights called for the political will to fight racial discrimination, "regulate business activities and make online spaces safer".

"By questioning our assumptions, verifying facts, and learning about history and human rights, we can see through the tactics of distraction and recognise our shared humanity," he said.