UNITED NATIONS, March 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for unity and action to address "the ancient poison of racism," which he said is alive and kicking in every community, society, country and region of the world.

In his message on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed annually on March 21, Guterres said racism lives on in the legacies of colonialism, enslavement and oppression, which drive so many of the problems today -- from economic, social and political inequality, to discriminatory policies and practices, and to outright conflicts.

"And it spreads via new digital tools and technologies that inundate us with hate speech, perpetuating lies and harmful stereotypes that often spill over into real-world violence and abuse," he warned.

"The antidote is unity and action," the UN chief said, calling on all governments, institutions, businesses and communities to work together to address racism and safeguard the dignity, justice, equality and human rights that belong to every person.

"This means universal ratification and full implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination," and "living up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, now marking its 25th year, which includes concrete steps to end racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," he added.

"Today, and every day, we must take a stand. We must fight for the dignity, rights and belonging of every person on earth, and erase the stain of racism from our world," Guterres said.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966 to raise awareness and encourage global action against racism. ■