International Day for People of African Descent - UN experts urge General Assembly to proclaim second International Decade for People of African Descent

GENEVA (30 August 2023) - On the occasion of the International Day for People of African Descent, a group of UN experts issue the following Joint Statement:

“The International Day for People of African Descent is a day to acknowledge and remember the historic and ongoing triumphs as well as struggles of people of African descent to realise their human rights.

Today, more than ever, the world urgently needs humanity to unite and collaborate with unwavering commitment, in a spirit of equality and non-discrimination.  This demands political will to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, inequality and stratification at both the domestic and international levels.

To achieve this goal, inequities within and among countries will need to be drastically decreased; and the legacies of colonialism, apartheid, enslavement, and genocide effectively resolved.

The cause of people of African descent for recognition, justice and development is a cause for humanity.

The International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024, together with the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action have contributed significantly to combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance. However, there is much more work to be done and the momentum gained must be sustained.

Therefore, we urge the UN General Assembly to consider the proclamation of the second International Decade for People of African Descent for the period 2025-2034, with a view to taking further action to address systemic discrimination and legacies of the past to bring about the full recognition, justice, and development for people of African descent worldwide.”

ENDS

*The experts: Ms. Epsy Campbell Barr, Chairperson, Permanent Forum on People of African Descent; Ms. Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; Dr. Tracie Keesee and Prof. Juan Méndez, International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the context of Law Enforcement; Ms. Barbara G. Reynolds (Chair), Ms. Bina D’Costa, Ms. Catherine S. Namakula, Ms. Dominique Day and Ms. Miriam Ekiudoko, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; Ms. Hanna Suchocka, Chairperson, Group of Independent Eminent Experts on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; H.E. Marie Chantal Rwakazina, Chairperson, Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and Ms. Verene Shepherd, Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.