A/HRC/4/39 page 3 Introduction 1. The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent held its sixth session from 29 January to 2 February 2007 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. 2. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, opened the session. The Working Group elected Peter Lesa Kasanda as its Chairperson-Rapporteur. 3. The present report reflects the general course of the debate. I. ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION 4. During the sixth session, the Working Group held six public meetings and three private meetings. It was attended by the following members: Peter Lesa Kasanda (Chairperson-Rapporteur), Joe Frans, Georges Nicolas Jabbour, and Irina Moroianu-Zlătescu; observers for 60 Member States and 1 observer from a non-member State, 12 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and 2 intergovernmental organizations. The list of participants and the agenda are contained in the annexes. All working papers submitted by the experts and participants are available at the Secretariat or can be found on the OHCHR web site.1 II. SUBSTANTIVE SUMMARY OF DELIBERATIONS A. General statements 5. The High Commissioner for Human Rights delivered the opening address. 6. The High Commissioner stated that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action not only records a solemn commitment by States to work together but also offers a functional common agenda for the international community to counter racism in all its manifestations. 7. The High Commissioner stressed the important achievement of the Durban Conference, which addressed the appalling tragedy of slavery. She saluted the adoption of General Assembly resolution 61/19, unanimously declaring 26 March 2007 a day for the worldwide commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, as a confirmation of the commitment undertaken in Durban to repudiate slavery as a major human rights violation. 8. The High Commissioner voiced her concern over the practice of racial profiling, which violates certain fundamental human rights guarantees. She stressed that the practice of racial profiling violates the principle of equality before the law, as well as international legal norms aimed at eliminating racism and racial discrimination. She reaffirmed the fundamental premise enshrined in article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and re-emphasized the incompatibility of the practice of racial profiling with respect for human rights and the principle of non-discrimination. She encouraged the Working Group to adopt concrete recommendations to assist Governments in tackling the problem of racial profiling. 1 See www.ohchr.org/english/issues/racism/groups/african/4african.htm.