A/HRC/18/45 40. The Chairperson pointed out that, despite the controversies that had tainted it, the conference became the starting point of a far-reaching process whereby States were able to come together to reaffirm their commitment to prevent, combat and eradicate all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 41. The Chairperson stressed that both the 2001 Durban Conference and the 2009 Review Conference had contributed to a greater degree of attention being paid to new challenges of racism and related intolerance, including the discrimination facing people of African descent as a group. The conference had expressly acknowledged that discriminatory, xenophobic and racist practices were particularly used against people of African descent, that generations of Africans had been oppressed by racism, colonialism and slavery, and that many still suffered from the consequences. The countries in the southern hemisphere used the 2001 and 2009 conferences to introduce their collective experience of injustice to the international human rights debate. 42. The Chairperson also reported that, while the Durban agenda had triggered new initiatives and action, racism, discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance persisted in most developed democratic States, particularly against people of African descent. She referred to a recent survey conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, which concluded that Roma and people of African descent were at the top of 10 groups with the highest rates of discrimination, and that thousands of cases of racist crime and discrimination remained invisible because they were not reported. 43. The Chairperson noted that neither the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action nor the Outcome Document referred to the term “Afrophobia” and called for its introduction. 44. One State observer thanked the Chairperson for her presentation, and commented that a comparison of Roma with people of African descent in the presentation was problematic. The Chairperson replied that it was not to compare roots of discrimination against Roma with those of people of African descent, but rather to show similarities in the situation of the two groups in Europe. It was important to note that there were many programmes for Roma, but none for people of African descent. Therefore, an important role of the Working Group was to raise awareness of the issue of people of African descent to the same level as the issue of Roma. 45. A member of the Working Group, Maya Sahli, stated in her presentation that the main achievement of the Durban World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance was that it recognized slavery as a crime against humanity and emphasized the importance of social, economic and political perspectives in order to understand contemporary manifestations of racism and all forms of exclusion in the areas of health care, housing and education. While progress had been made by States since the Conference, including through constitutional reform and the adoption of new legislation to combat racism, many countries still lacked the political will to tackle racial discrimination efficiently. 46. Ms. Sahli reiterated the crucial importance of collecting disaggregated data to address the structural discrimination faced by people of African origin. She called for the international community to cooperate to ensure that the rights of this vulnerable group are protected and that they are made more visible. She stressed that the Durban Conference had been a starting point and that the Working Group would continue to be actively involved in the protection of the rights of people of African descent. 47. A representative from a State asked the member to explain more specifically what she thought would be the role of the Working Group in the future process. Ms. Sahli replied that the Working Group was a bridge between the United Nations and the international 8