A/HRC/21/60 contributions, to finance projects and programmes dedicated to the preservation of culture, memory and African traditions. 11. The representative of Senegal, speaking on behalf of the African Group, pointed out the urgency to improve the living condition of people of African descent and noted that despite the inclusion of the issue of people of African descent in the international agenda, limited results had been achieved to date. 12. Ms. Fanon Mendes-France made a presentation in which she discussed some of the challenges faced by people of African descent. She focused on the issue of the administration of justice and the discrimination that people of African descent faced in terms of access to justice. She highlighted the case of Trayvon Martin in the United States of America and stressed that the process of justice was often different for people of African descent and other populations. She pointed out the high rates of people of African descent in prisons and among victims of killings which she related to the stigmatization of people of African descent as criminal or dangerous. Ms. Fanon Mendes-France also pointed out that such discrimination was in opposition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the basic principles of other human rights declarations and treaties. She stressed that countering discrimination against people of African descent was currently more than ever a priority and that strong mobilization should be a priority for all people who strive for equality. B. Briefing by the Working Group members 13. The Chairperson, in her retrospective look at the International Year for People of African Descent, noted that 2011 was potentially an important year for people of African descent, with the coincidence of the International Year and the tenth anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. She observed that most of the activities for the International Year had taken place in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. She noted the relatively low level of activities by other Member States and the low media coverage of the International Year. The Chairperson asserted the importance of adequate funding to realize the Decade’s goals and to enable States to fulfil their commitments made in Durban. 14. The Chairperson made specific reference to the right to development as critical to the Decade. She noted the link between the legacy of colonialism and contemporary inequality, pointing out that people of African descent have been victims of racism, structural discrimination and enslavement for centuries which has impeded their development. She thus stressed the importance of claiming the full implementation of their right to development. 15. The Chairperson also noted the importance of a renewed focus on preserving memory. She mentioned the current debates in the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) region on how the invisibility and denial of the history and contributions of people of African descent to their nations’ development, particularly in education curricula, have impacted upon generations. She highlighted the critical role of the DDPA as the roadmap to guide the process of developing a Decade for people of African descent. She mentioned the increasingly challenging political context, intolerance, antiBlack racism, ethnocentrism, xenophobia and related intolerance and stressed the need to find a way to resolve conflicts in order to move forward. 16. During the interactive discussion, several good practices were shared with the Working Group. The representative of Colombia highlighted the programmes implemented in his country to protect the rights of people of African descent, including the restitution of lands. The importance of retaining institutional memory regarding efforts to combat racism 5