7th meeting, 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

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6th meeting, 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

"The Second International Decade for People of African Descent: Addressing Systemic Racism, Reparatory Justice and Sustainable Development". 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

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5th meeting, 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent will hold its annual session from 16 to 19 April 2024 in room XX at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. This third session is organized under the theme: "The Second International Decade for People of African Descent: Addressing Systemic Racism, Reparatory Justice and Sustainable Development". * Please note that Portuguese interpretation is available on the Original audio channel. * A interpretação em português está disponível no canal de áudio Original.

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4th meeting, 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent will hold its annual session from 16 to 19 April 2024 in room XX at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. This third session is organized under the theme: "The Second International Decade for People of African Descent: Addressing Systemic Racism, Reparatory Justice and Sustainable Development".  * Please note that Portuguese interpretation is available on the Original audio channel. * A interpretação em português está disponível no canal de áudio Original. More Information

Watch the 4th meeting, 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

3rd meeting, 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

Watch the 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent:

The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent will hold its annual session from 16 to 19 April 2024 in room XX at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. This third session is organized under the theme: "The Second International Decade for People of African Descent: Addressing Systemic Racism, Reparatory Justice and Sustainable Development".  * Please note that Portuguese interpretation is available on the Original audio channel. * A interpretação em português está disponível no canal de áudio Original.

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Watch the 2nd meeting, 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent!

1st meeting, 3rd session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent will hold its annual session from 16 to 19 April 2024 in room XX at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. This third session is organized under the theme: "The Second International Decade for People of African Descent: Addressing Systemic Racism, Reparatory Justice and Sustainable Development".  * Please note that Portuguese interpretation is available on the Original audio channel. * A interpretação em português está disponível no canal de áudio Original.

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ID: WG on People of African Descent (Cont'd) - 39th Meeting, 54th Regular Session of Human Rights Council.

CONTINUED - Presentation of reports of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, followed by an interactive discussion

Interactive Disscussion: Working Group on People of African Descent (Cont'd) - 39th Meeting, 54th Regular Session of Human Rights Council.

Report of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent - 39th Meeting, 54th Regular Session of Human Rights Council.

Interactive Dialogue on the Report of and Mandate of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent.

Interactive Discussion: Report of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent - 39th Meeting, 54th Regular Session of Human Rights Council.

Working Group on People of African Descent - 38th Meeting, 54th Regular Session of Human Rights Council.

Presentation of reports of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, followed by an interactive discussion

Interactive Discussion: WG on People of African Descent - 38th Meeting, 54th Regular Session of Human Rights Council

Ending discrimination, benefits everyone.

As hate speech, discrimination & xenophobia are on the rise, each of us can #StandUp4HumanRights, and help #FightRacism & hatred. More on Thursday's International Day for People of African Descent.

Let's reaffirm our commitment to the theme of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent: recognition, justice, and development.

Every August 31st, the world comes together through the UN International Day for People of African Descent to honor the shared heritage, diverse culture, and profound influence of Africans and the global African diaspora. This day also serves as an opportunity to raise global awareness about the challenges of systemic racism, discrimination, and exclusion faced by individuals of African descent worldwide.

In December 2022, President Biden issued an executive order to create the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States. In June 2022, I appointed Desirée Cormier Smith as the inaugural Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice at the State Department. Since then, she has diligently coordinated the Department’s efforts to combat global anti-Black racism and advance the human rights of individuals from marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities worldwide through our foreign policy.

On this day, we reaffirm our commitment to the theme of the UN International Decade for People of African Descent: recognition, justice, and development.

 STATEMENT BY ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE ON AUGUST 31, 2023.

Recognition. Justice. Development.

The International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) aims to celebrate the important contributions of people of African descent worldwide, social justice and inclusion policies, eradicate racism and intolerance, promote human rights, and assist in creating better, more prosperous communities, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals spearheaded by the United Nations.

Advance equality and combat racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia.

“Today, as we mark the International Day for People of African Descent, I reiterate the call of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to use the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to announce and take prompt and robust steps to advance equality and combat racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia,” he said. 

The UN chief urged countries to take concrete steps, with the full participation of people of African descent and their communities, to tackle old and new forms of racial discrimination; and to dismantle entrenched structural and institutional racism.

“Today and every day, we must continue to speak out against all ideas of racial superiority, and work tirelessly to free all societies from the blight of racism,” he said.

Promote the extraordinary contributions of the African diaspora around the world.

Through this Observance, the United Nations aims to promote the extraordinary contributions of the African diaspora around the world and to eliminate all forms of discrimination against people of African descent.

 International Day for People of African Descent 2023 (31st August)

Guarantee equitable access to health for People of African descent.

Today, we celebrate the International Day for People of African Descent to recognize achievements and reflect on the need to combat racism and protect human rights, including the right to health. The Region of the Americas is home to approximately 210 million People of African Descent, or 20 per cent of the population. People of African Descent have made important contributions to health, and countries are increasingly marking history by putting more People of African Descent in elected office and leadership positions, and establishing ministries dedicated to cultural diversity. We celebrate these achievements. Nonetheless, they continue to experience racism and still have poorer health outcomes. A recent PAHO report shows that in 80 per cent of the countries analyzed, People of African descent experience increased poverty levels, limited access to health services, and higher rates infant mortality and maternal mortality. For instance, the maternal mortality gap is between 1.3 and 3 times higher in some countries. Also, they have limited access to adequate housing and basic sanitation—up to 2 and 5 times higher in some countries. To address these inequities, in 2017, PAHO Member States approved the first Policy on Ethnicity and Health and PAHO supported Afro-descendant youth to develop their health plan. Moreover, we are implementing actions towards the International Decade for People of African Descent and the Declaration on the Human Rights of People of African Descent. However, much more needs to be done. We cannot reach universal health unless our health systems respond to the needs of those systematically left behind. PAHO is committed to promote social participation, eliminate racism, and guarantee equitable access to health for People of African descent.

Statement by Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director, message International Day for People of African Descent 2023.

Remember the historic and ongoing triumphs as well as struggles of people of African descent to realise their human rights -Joint Statement from Human Rights Experts on occasion of the International Day for People of African Descent 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.