The United Nations World Conference against Racism of 2001 focused on what were and remain the most persistent and threatening problems confronting the world. It was a pivotal event. For the first time in a United Nations governmental forum, the deep historical roots of racism were addressed, while confronting issues such as the legacy of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, colonialism, and the problems faced by the African diaspora: descendants of African peoples that have been dispersed throughout the world. The Conference was also historic in linking the struggles of African descendants to that of other groups of oppressed peoples including Indigenous Peoples, migrant communities facing xenophobia and Palestinians seeking self-determination. At the same time it raised contemporary issues such as hate speech on the Internet. Thorny issues gave rise to controversies and compromises that have shaped the subsequent decades of global approaches to dismantling racism.