A/HRC/21/60 and its effects on people of African descent was also pointed out. In this regard it was suggested that the activities of the International Year for People of African Descent were enriching and served as a reminder to the international community. Speakers reiterated the importance of the right to development encompassing civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights for people of African descent. The suggestion was made for the Working Group to draw on the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development when considering some of the rights to be achieved for people of African descent. 17. It was also pointed out that despite the majority of activities and support for the year having been in the GRULAC region, many States in other regions, including Europe, had played key roles in the process since the Durban Conference in 2001. They were represented at the Afro XXI Ibero-American High-Level Meeting, held in Brazil in November 2011, and also supported other related issues, such as minority rights, at the international level. 18. The Global African Diaspora Summit, , hosted in South Africa in May 2012, was mentioned, which was expected to reinforce the efforts of the Working Group. The importance of establishing clear objectives of the Decade was highlighted, in order to ensure real meaning and impact on the ground. 19. The discussion also addressed the issue of the multiple forms of discrimination and exploitation that women and migrants of African descent face in the workplace, particularly those in informal work situations in sectors such as domestic service, agriculture and construction, and the need to adopt and implement legislation that protects their rights. 20. During the interactive discussion several comments were made by participants about the important achievements of the Durban Conference during which the significant struggle faced by people of African descent were recognised by the international community which pledged to remedy the situation. The International Year for People of African Descent was also mentioned several times as an initiative which allowed stakeholders to strengthen their commitments towards the fight against discrimination. Regarding the proposed Decade for People of African Descent, it was suggested that specific actions by decision makers at all levels were needed to set clear objectives for the Decade. It was stressed that this could not be achieved without a victim-based approach. States should focus on victims who need assistance using existing international mechanisms including special procedures and their county visits. In this regard, the importance of State’s reports to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and implementation of its recommendations was pointed out, as well as the importance of cooperating within regional mechanisms such as the Council of Europe, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. The relevant United Nations bodies and agencies should be involved, and the establishment of an anti-discrimination network focusing on the situation of the rights of people of African descent would be welcomed. 21. The session turned to the question of how to ensure that the decade would be more successful. Ms. Najevska pointed out that the International Year provided the foundations for the Decade and highlighted the need for further action. Ms. Fanon Mendes-France added that despite the limited attention to the Year, it did give higher profile to the issues affecting people of African descent, and that as the Decade would be a much longer period of time there was potential to achieve the objectives. She viewed the Year as an introduction to this process. 22. The importance of determining what could be done for victims was raised and lead to further discussion on the concept of victimization, in which several observers stressed the importance of not victimizing people of African descent. Ms. Fanon Medes-France pointed out that while it is important not to victimise them it was also important to 6