E/CN.4/2004/21 page 18 103. Some observers mentioned that people of African descent faced difficulties in some European countries in participating in the elaboration of national plans of action against racism; there was a “discordance between national realities on the ground and the rhetoric”. Mr. Frans stated that it was important for people of African descent to be included in the development and monitoring of national action plans and that perhaps a special workshop by the European Network against Racism on people of African descent and the production of national action plans could be convened. 104. Ms. Carr-Johnson stated that in studying people of African descent and access to education, it was difficult to separate issues of race, class and gender because they were inextricably linked, and that any analysis of the situation must consider all three together. She agreed that while affirmative action was helpful, it had to be paired with economic incentives (educational grants, bus passes) to be successful. She answered a question posed by Mr. Jabbour by stating that black universities had been beneficial in the United States and that exchange programmes with Latin American countries should be considered. 105. Ms. Haynes reinforced the importance of the collection of data disaggregated by race, class and gender, as this would give a true picture of the social and economic development of people of African descent in a given country and region. While political will varied according to country or region, States should be persuaded to take action because inequalities in Latin American countries affected national economic growth. In order to meet the Millennium Development Goals, everyone must be included and universality must be the target. 106. Mr. Martins cautioned that higher-level education on the basis of “merit” was problematic, as merit was a concept that could be “culturally manipulated”. On the basis of the MDGs, it would take about 500 years to address the disparities between people of African descent and the rest of the population. The gap was not closing, but rather widening, and for that reason, affirmative action policies were necessary. He had recently completed a report for the International Labour Organization on discrimination in the labour market in Brazil, which found that with the same educational level, there was still a gap in earnings between black and white workers caused by “sheer racism in the labour market” with exactly the same education, women of African descent earned only 40 per cent of the wages of their white male counterparts. 107. At its thirteenth meeting, the Chairperson-Rapporteur introduced the draft set of conclusions and recommendations prepared by the members on the basis of the discussions at the third session. The Working Group heard comments from observers on the draft. 108. An NGO observer noted that the knowledge, values and oral traditions of people of African descent should be valued and that this human knowledge should not be underrated in the face of modernization. 109. At the fourteenth meeting, the Working Group heard further comments on the draft. There was also a discussion about the concept, role and working methods of the Working Group, and whether it should elaborate recommendations or concrete short-term and long-term proposals to address the daily lives and social and economic realities of victims. There were several interventions from the floor. It was mentioned that there should be a stronger link between the Working Group and the five independent eminent experts in respect of issues facing people of African descent.