A/76/434 Africans and people of African descent has since been built”. She noted that the CARICOM Plan was a “direct descendant” of that document. 78 61. At the international level, several States noted the importance of continued technical assistance on and publicization of the Durban D eclaration and Programme of Action by United Nations institutions, 79 and many States structured their implementation activities around the International Decade for People of African Descent. 80 62. Institutionally, in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, Member States directly called for two international follow-up mechanisms: the Group of Independent Eminent Experts on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. Both have carried out vital work towards realizing the commitments set out in the document. Since the creation of those mechanisms, the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the Ad Hoc Committee of the Human Rights Council on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination have also been established. 63. As set out in paragraph 191 (c) of the Programme of Action, the Anti-Racial Discrimination Section of OHCHR is tasked with essential responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and providing relevant technical support thereon to States and other actors (see also A/CONF.211/PC.4/5, paras. 13–16; and A/69/186). The Section serves as the secretariat to the four Durban follow-up mechanisms. The Section is also responsible for the anti-discrimination database, which was created by OHCHR in 2013 to fulfil the call set out in paragraph 191 (d) of the Programme of Action. The Section ’s activities, as well as other OHCHR operations that involve the D urban Declaration and Programme of Action, are reported on in the annual report of the Secretariat on the implementation of the document, the most recent of which was A/76/287. 64. The International Day for People of African Descent and the International Decade for People of African Descent are two United Nations programmes that are the outcome of Durban follow-up mechanisms. The International Decade (2015–2024) is integrally linked to the Durban conference; one of the main objectives of the Decade is to raise awareness of and disseminate the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (General Assembly resolution 69/16, annex, para. 2). 65. The International Decade for People of African Descent has been a key framework for State action on implementing the specific recommendations relating to Africans and people of African descent set out in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. In Argentina, the International Decade has reportedly inspired the implementation of several programmes, including a national programme for the implementation of the International Decade, an interministerial table for public policies for people of African descent, and a national commission for the historical recognition of the Afro-Argentine community. 81 Ecuador, Peru and Spain reported that they have also used the International Decade as an impetus for recognizing and directing resources to their Afrodescendent populations. 82 The recent creation of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent provides additional opportunities to __________________ 78 79 80 81 82 21-15325 Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, statement at the high-level meeting to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, 22 September 2021. Submission by Namibia. Submission by Ecuador. Submission by the Defensoría del Pueblo de la Nación (Argentina). Submissions by Ecuador, Peru and Spain. 17/26