A/HRC/48/78 B. Recommendations 72. People of African descent must be part of the solution to climate change and other environmental crises. States should include the leadership, experience and expertise of frontline communities, such as communities of people of African descent, in all stages of environmental policies, processes and implementation in an equitable way. 73. Priority should be given to increasing the participation of people of African descent in the design and implementation of climate change emergency response, adaptation and mitigation measures. Opportunities should be taken to address both climate change and racial discrimination together, rather than treating them separately. 74. The Working Group recommends that States and other duty bearers: (a) Implement the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the Programme of Activities for the International Decade for People of African Descent, and take action to address the root causes and current manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance, including environmental racism; (b) Take urgent and timely action at the global level to recognize and implement the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a vital response to the current multi-faceted environmental crisis; support the adoption of key United Nations resolutions recognizing that everyone has the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment to serve as a catalyst for constitutional recognition, stronger laws and increased resources to deliver essential services; and hasten the process of drafting United Nations declarations and treaties in this connection; (c) Take urgent action to mitigate the climate crisis, and address environmental degradation and environmental racism, applying a human rights-based approach; emphasize prevention and participation, focus on the needs of those most affected, and increase accountability; address the root causes of systemic racism and interrelated environmental disasters, and seize the opportunity to “build forward better” in order to achieve a just and sustainable future in which no one is left behind. 75. States must take urgent action to ensure protection and support for environmental human rights defenders, including defenders of African descent. 76. States, corporations, institutions and individuals must develop a facility to recognize racial discrimination to effectively address it. This includes in policies that balance extraction against community health and safety. Corporations should conduct environmental and human rights impact assessments as part of their due diligence processes, and engage in fair contracting and siting practices that respect local communities and do not exploit or coerce favourable outcomes at the expense of communities with less power and privilege. Member States must not shirk their oversight obligations, particularly with respect to transnational corporations and businesses headquartered outside communities where they operate. 77. States should introduce legally binding targets based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to reduce the number of deaths from air pollution. They should ensure that the national limits for particulate matter are in accordance with WHO guidelines as minimum requirements. They should engage in awarenessraising within communities at risk to help individuals to reduce their personal exposure to air pollution. The capacity to monitor air quality must be increased. The adverse effects of air pollution on health should also be communicated to patients and their carers by medical and nursing professionals. 78. States should also support and invest in Africa and other countries affected by the legacy of colonialism, and smallholder farmers of African descent, with special regard for women and the local food producers who create resilience and liveable 16