The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) will hold a discussion on systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protesters as part of its 43rd session on Wednesday.

The announcement comes after Burkina Faso representatives, on behalf of African HRC member states, sent a letter to the council urging it to open a discussion on the issues which have inspired worldwide movement following the killing of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of US police in Minneapolis last month.

The United States is not a member of the Geneva-headquartered UN Human Rights Council, having withdrawn its membership in 2018. The annual meeting of the intergovernmental body was postponed from March due to the coronavirus pandemic.