Statement by United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent

(Special  Correspondent)

GENEVA (30 August 2022) – People of African descent continue to face racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance including human rights violations related to violent and excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies, a group of UN experts said today. On the occasion of the second annual International Day for People of African Descent, the United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent issues the following statement:

“The United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent is pleased to commemorate the second International Day for People of African Descent. The international day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2020 in recognition of the diverse heritage, culture and extraordinary contributions of people of African descent in all facets of life globally. Equally critical, the International Day highlights the remaining barriers impeding the full and effective enjoyment of all human rights by all people of African descent with the view to eliminating those barriers and to guaranteeing reparations for the impacts of systemic racism.

Joining communities from around the world, the Permanent Forum membership will observe the International Day for People of African Descent in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from 5 to 8 September 2022. There, we will engage with a wide variety of stakeholders, mark commitments to the global struggle for racial equality, and celebrate the diverse, global communities of people of African descent.  

On 31 August 1920, Marcus Garvey, and a congregation of thousands of people of African descent from more than 20 countries, met at Madison Square Garden in New York City and adopted a statement on the human rights of Africans and people of African descent, denouncing how they were systematically ‘discriminated against and denied the common rights due to human beings for no other reason than their race and colour’. We are committed to following in this path in recognition that the task has not yet been completed.

We recognise the interconnectedness of past to present. This includes the legacy of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, colonialism, systemic racism, oppressive security and carceral systems, and inequalities, dove-tailing into inequalities in access to healthcare and treatment, evident during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the disproportionately higher mortality and morbidity rates for people of African descent.

Some progress has been made in the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and in the implementation of the Programme of Activities of the International Decade for People of African Descent. However, we remain deeply concerned about all contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance faced by people of African descent, including human rights violations connected to violent and excessive uses of force by law enforcement agencies.  

As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said of the International Day last year, “It is a long overdue recognition of the profound injustices and systemic discrimination that people of African descent have endured for centuries, and continue to confront today.”  

We appreciate that people of African descent are at the forefront of advocacy addressing systemic racism and structural inequities, more recently and adamantly in the areas of climate change and natural disasters, as well as in areas of youth unemployment, shrinking civic space, sexual harassment, gender-based violence, stigma and discrimination. We dedicate ourselves to building off this work to further advance the human rights of all people of African descent. We remain absolutely committed to an agenda of equality, justice and reparations, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the commitment to Leave No One Behind.

The Permanent Forum is a consultative mechanism for people of African descent and other stakeholders. We will hold the first of our annual sessions at the United Nations Office in Geneva from 5 to 8 December 2022, which will include action-oriented plenary discussions, side events and cultural elements. 

We have also sought the views of civil society organisations promoting the rights of people of African descent to inform the drafting of the United Nations Declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent. Supporting the elaboration of the Declaration is a key aspect of the Permanent Forum’s mandate, as set out in General Assembly resolution 75/314.”