A/HRC/54/71 ownership of ancestral lands; to the preservation of traditional knowledge; and to an equitable share of resources. The Working Group has recommended that the draft declaration: (a) Contain a call for States to recognize the existence of their populations of people of African descent and the cultural, economic, political and scientific contributions made by them, with an emphasis on the relationship between the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism and the persistence of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance directed towards people of African descent today; (b) Address the marginalization, poverty and exclusion faced by people of African descent and their vulnerable condition, which resulted from multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, and underline the importance of eradicating all forms of discrimination faced by people of African descent, including within the framework of the 2030 Agenda; (c) Emphasize that people of African descent, as a collective and as individuals, have the right to the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized in international human rights law and require all States to ratify the relevant treaties and ensure that national legislation was compatible with international human rights law; (d) Include guarantees for civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights, and include reparations, the protection of land rights, protection from State violence, including racial profiling, protection against hate crimes, protection for human rights defenders, and protection for migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers of African descent. States should also be called upon to establish positive measures to ensure the participation of people of African descent at all levels of society and in all areas of employment, including guaranteeing a high level of political participation. 53 58. At their recent sessions, the Working Group and the Permanent Forum have also established the importance of articulating the specific ways that systemic racism is embedded in systems and practices, for example, forcible child removals in abuse or neglect proceedings and the impact of environmental and climate policy on people of African descent. COVID-19, systemic racism and global protests 59. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed racial discrimination in institutions designed to confer justice, equity and redress and make recommendations. For example, although people of African descent disproportionately experienced COVID-19 infections, including with greater severity and higher mortality than other populations, law enforcement agencies failed to offer protection. Instead, in many States, law enforcement officials targeted people of African descent violently and with impunity, even enforcing pandemic restrictions without regard to social protection or human rights for entire communities. During the pandemic, the Working Group expressed concern about the disproportionate impact of such restrictions on people of African descent, in particular regarding their access to health care, economic disparities and the increased vulnerability of communities of African descent to the health and socioeconomic effects of the pandemic.54 60. The Working Group also addressed the intersection of the pandemic and human rights, focusing in particular on the ways in which the pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities and human rights challenges faced by people of African descent. It urged Governments and international organizations to ensure that their responses to the pandemic and social unrest were inclusive and equitable and took into account the specific needs and vulnerabilities of people of African descent. The Working Group said that it was vitally important that States acknowledge that people of African descent were among the most at risk and in need of protection and that they consider the social determinants of health. Failure to appreciate the risks faced by people of African descent facilitated racial disparities during the pandemic in addition to violence and disregard for their human rights. 61. The disparities reflected in many aspects of everyday life during the pandemic, such as in relation to quarantining, social distancing and mask mandates, disproportionately 53 54 GE.23-15301 A/HRC/39/69, paras. 65 and 80–82. See A/HRC/45/44. 13