A/71/297 colonization and colonialism as the only means of tackling the consequences of those crimes against humanity experienced, even today, by Africans and people of African descent all over the world. She reiterated, in various ways, the importance of referring to the Working Group mandate within the framework of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; (c) In 2015, Ms. Shepherd delivered three lectures about the International Decade and its relationship to the issue of reparatory justice: (i) “From Montego Bay to Morant Bay: making the case for reparatory justice” (Mandeville, Jamaica, 26 July 2015); (ii) “The decade for people of African descent and reparatory j ustice” (University of St. Martin, Sint Maarten, 3 October 2015); and (iii) a keynote address “Past imperfect, future perfect (?): reparation, rehabilitation, reconciliation ” (University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 4 November 2015); (d) On 29 April 2016, Mr. Reid was a panellist at a United Nations special event held in New York on the theme “Recognition, justice and development: women of African descent — at the intersection of race and gender”. G. Other mandate-related activities 35. On 15 June 2016, Mr. Sunga III, presented a paper on people of African descent in Asia at a round-table discussion at the Institute of Human Rights at the University of the Philippines. The paper was entitled “Bridging the racial divide: contemporary issues of discrimination”. Issues of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance against people of African descent in Asia were highlighted in the paper. Mr. Sunga III also indicated in the paper that steps would be taken to urge the Philippines and other Asian States to adopt positive measures to implement the International Decade in the region in accordance with its themes of recognition, justice and development. 36. On 18 March 2016, at the invitation of the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Reid delivered the keynote address on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Also on 18 March 2016, in celebration of the same occasion and at the invitation of the President of the Human Rights Council, Ms. Fanon -Mendes-France delivered a statement at the United Nations Office at Geneva. The theme for both events was “Challenges and achievements of the Durban Declaratio n and Platform for Action — 15 years after”. In her statement, Ms. Fanon-Mendes-France focused on the importance of ending the structural and institutional racism that plagues the world, by going back to the founding idea of the Charter of the United Natio ns that created the United Nations. She emphasized that it was the people who were sovereign in the framework of the United Nations and that States were there only to represent the people. She insisted on the importance of deconstructing the paradigms of political domination and of knowledge that allowed the enslavement of millions of human beings, and created divides in society, such as “good” versus “evil”, “civilized people” versus “barbarians”, “democracy” versus “dictatorship”, and raised an elementary and simplistic analysis of international relations. 37. On 11 and 12 October 2015, Mr. Balcerzak participated in the Tenth Annual Symposium: Human Rights and a Just Society, held in Torun, Poland, on the theme “The world is on fire: fleeing to freedom or survival”, organized by the Law Faculty 16-13578 9/11