Media advisories Special Procedures

UN experts on people of African descent to visit UK

17 January 2023

GENEVA (17 January 2023) – The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent will conduct a fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 18 to 27 January 2023.

The visit takes place at the invitation of the Government. The expert delegation led by Catherine S. Namakula includes Barbara G. Reynolds and Dominique Day.

The experts will gather information on any forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and assess the human rights situation of people of African descent in the country. They will also follow up on implementation of recommendations made after the experts’ visit to the UK in 2012.

During the visit, the Working Group will travel to London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Bristol. They will meet with Government representatives, national institutions, people of African descent, lawyers, civil society organisations and individuals working on issues of racism and racial discrimination.

The experts will also promote the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).

A news conference to share preliminary findings and recommendations will be held at 12:00pm on Friday 27 January at the International Maritime Organization Headquarters, 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR. Access will be strictly limited to journalists. Registrations by email: christina.saunders@un.org

ENDS

The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent was established on 25 April 2002 by the then Commission on Human Rights, following the World Conference against Racism held in Durban in 2001. It is composed of five independent experts: Ms. Catherine S. Namakula (Uganda) current Chair-Rapporteur; Ms. Barbara G. Reynolds (Guyana) current Vice-Chair; Ms. Dominique Day (United States of America); Ms. Miriam Ekiudoko (Hungary).

The Working Group is part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the United Nations Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

UN Human Rights, country page – UK

For inquiries and media requests please contact: Christina Saunders (+41 766911399/ christina.saunders@un.org) or write to ohchr-africandescent@un.org.

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org)

Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts.

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