A/76/302 I. Introduction 1. The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent held its twentysixth session from 23 to 25 November 2020 and its twenty-seventh session from 30 November to 3 December 2020. Owing to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, both sessions were virtual. During its twenty-sixth session, the Working Group held a private session, as well as a series of five regional consultations with civil society. The twenty-seventh session, on the theme “The urgency of now: systemic racism and the lessons of 2020”, included the participation of representatives of Member States, international and regional organizations, civil society and invited panellists (see annex). 2. The present report is submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 75/237, in which the Assembly invited the Human Rights Council, through the Chair of the Working Group, to submit a report on the work of the Working Group. Sections III and IV contain a summary of the proceedings of the twenty-seventh session. Section V highlights pressing human rights concerns of people of African descent identified through a consultative process. Section VI contains the Working Group’s conclusions and recommendations. II. Activities undertaken by the Working Group 3. The Working Group presented a detailed update on activities undertaken during the reporting period in its report to the Human Rights Council at its forty -eighth session (A/HRC/48/78). The Working Group has the honour to draw the attention of the General Assembly to that document. III. Organization of the twenty-seventh session A. Opening of the session 4. In her opening statement, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights called for urgent and collective action to effectively address systemic racism and racial discrimination, as well as the socioeconomic inequalities, exclusion, marginalization and injustice affecting people of African descent worldwide. She underlined the need for an honest assessment of the past to acknowledge and address the consequences of the transatlantic trade on Africans. She reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to fighting racism, as seen in the Secretary General’s call to action for human rights, the United Nations Network on R acial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the implementation of Human Rights Council resolution 43/1. Noting that the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the midterm review of the International Decade for People of African Descent and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offered platforms for centring racial equality and equity in global and national agendas, she called upon Member States to act on existing obligations to prohibit and eliminate racial discrimination and to prioritize resources and concrete actions to make this moment a critical turning point in the fulfilment of the human rights of people of African descent. B. Election of the Chair-Rapporteur 5. 21-11641 Dominique Day was confirmed Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group. 3/22