E/CN.4/2003/21 page 8 38. Some observers for non-governmental organizations pointed to the need for gender sensitive “affirmative action” programmes to improve the situation of poverty, lack of education and violence faced by women of African descent. 39. The observer for AFRECure (All for Reparations and Emancipation) said that the meeting on Afro-descendants in La Ceiba, Honduras, held in 2001, recognized Afro-descendants as a minority with collective human rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He added that the Working Group on Minorities had considerable expertise on the issues of people of African descent and that the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent should engage this expertise. Another observer of AFRECure highlighted the importance of “teaching about the facts and truth of history” as articulated in paragraph 98 of the Programme of Action of the World Conference, and stated that a forum or mechanism was required to ensure this. 40. The observer for Espacio Afro-Americano stated that it was important for States to recognize Afro-descendant communities as ethnic or racial groups with constituent lands and that they fund local projects in these communities in areas such as criminal justice, health, sanitation and education. 41. It was noted that it would be useful to share information about the issues facing people of African descent as well as good practices achieved through collaboration with various human rights bodies and intergovernmental organizations. This could be achieved through specialized papers, publications and annual reports, as well as through a web site configuration. 42. Several observers for AFRECure (All for Reparations and Emancipation) argued that people of African descent, particularly in the Americas, had been profoundly deprived of their cultural, religious and linguistic identities as well as their human rights by slavery and that recognition of this, as well as reparations and/or repatriation, were necessary to remedy the situation. 43. At its fifth meeting, the Chairperson-Rapporteur introduced the draft set of conclusions and recommendations prepared by the members on the basis of the first session. The Working Group heard some comments from observers on this draft. 44. In order to clarify the scope of its mandate and generate a concerted effort in addressing the problems of racial discrimination facing people of African descent, each of the three experts undertook to prepare a paper on a substantive topic and to submit it to the Working Group at the next session, as follows: (a) Mr. Peter Lesa Kasanda would prepare a paper on the identification and definition of “people of African descent”, exploring how racial discrimination is manifested in the various regions; (b) Mr. Georges Nicolas Jabbour would prepare a paper on the issue of reparations and people of African descent; and (c) Ms. Irina Zlătescu would prepare a paper on how to use United Nations human rights mechanisms effectively to protect and promote the human rights of people of African descent. 45. The Working Group also invited Mr. Doudou Diène, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, to prepare a paper on existing historical memorial sites that commemorate slavery and the slave