E/CN.4/2006/19 page 3 Introduction 1. The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent held its fifth session from 29 August to 2 September 2005 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. 2. Dzidek Kedzia, Chief of the Research and Right to Development Branch, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 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 fifth 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-Zlatescu; observers for 47 States, 14 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and two intergovernmental organizations also attended. 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: (www.ohchr.org/english/issues/racism/groups/african/4african.htm). II. SUBSTANTIVE SUMMARY OF DELIBERATIONS A. General statements 5. The Chief of the Research and Right to Development Branch of OHCHR, Dzidek Kedzia, delivered the opening address. He informed the experts and observers that Roberto Borges Martins had communicated his resignation from his appointment. 6. Mr. Kedzia commended the decision of the Working Group to undertake country visits in its capacity as a special procedure of the Commission on Human Rights. He referred to its first on-site visit in June 2005 to Belgium and said that country visits were useful to familiarize members of the Working Group with the actual situation of Afro-descendants in a particular country through access to first-hand information and discussions with the parties concerned, whether the Government, civil society or people of African descent. 7. The Chairperson-Rapporteur thanked OHCHR for the support given to the Working Group’s mandate. He also thanked Mr. Borges Martins for his contribution to the Working Group and urged the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States to present in due time candidatures for the appointment of another expert. Mr. Frans was elected Vice-ChairpersonRapporteur. The provisional agenda and the programme of work of the session were adopted without a vote.