On Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution condemning systematic racism and security violence, after a historical debate and after removing a special reference to the United States from it.

The council, which is based in Geneva and Washington withdrew in 2018, adopted the draft resolution submitted by African countries, as part of an emergency meeting called after the death of American George Floyd at the hands of white policemen in Minnesota, and mass demonstrations against racism around the world.

In its first version, the draft resolution demanded the formation of an independent international commission of inquiry to highlight the "systematic racism" in the United States, but the text was gradually softened and no longer reminded the United States, which angered NGOs.

The final version was limited to the request of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michel Bachelet, to "prepare a report on systematic racism, violations of international human rights law, and abuse of Africans and people of African descent by the security forces."

In particular, the report should consider "the events that led to the death of George Floyd, other Africans and people of African descent, with the aim of contributing to the identification of responsibilities and redress for the victims."

Non-governmental human rights organizations have accused the United States of pressing to empty the text of much of its content.

"By harassing other countries to weaken what would have been a historic decision, and thus evading any international investigation, the United States is turning its back on victims of security and black violence," the American Civil Liberties Union said.

For its part, Michelle Bachelet condemned - on Wednesday, before the Council - "systematic racism", without mentioning the United States, and called for "public apology" for centuries of repression of blacks, through "official apologies" and "compensation."

After a minute of silence in honor of all victims of racism, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohamed said - in a video message - that it is the "responsibility" of the United Nations to respond to the victims of racism.

Before the opening of the meeting, 20 senior African or African-American international officials, including the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanum Gebresos, personally signed a statement in which they considered that "limiting itself to condemning racist expressions and actions is not enough."

Before the vote, the representative of Burkina Faso, representing the African group on the Human Rights Council, acknowledged that "several concessions" had been made in order to "ensure consensus" on the text.

On Wednesday, George Floyd's brother sent a touching video message to the United Nations, calling for reforms. "You have the ability to help us do justice," said Filonis Floyd.

He called for the formation of an "independent commission of inquiry on blacks killed by police in the United States, and violence used against peaceful demonstrators."

For his part, the US Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Brumberg this week pointed to his country's "transparency" in combating discrimination and ethnic injustice.

After U.S. President Donald Trump issued a soft-spoken executive order on the matter, Republican Senators on Wednesday presented a bill on the use of strangulation in arrests and training of police, without going into the broad immunity they enjoyed for years.