A/HRC/27/68 B. Election of the Chair-Rapporteur 7. Ms. Fanon Mendes-France was elected Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group. 8. Ms. Shepherd delivered her outgoing statement, thanking all who had supported her during her tenure. She expressed her pride in the work that the Working Group had accomplished over the previous year, at times in collaboration with other special procedures mandate holders, in the struggle against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The results of the country visits and complaints of individuals and groups that felt discriminated against, along with reports in the international media of racial and xenophobic incidents, indicated that the struggle against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was still necessary. She stressed the need for recommitment to the struggle, no matter how challenging it appeared to be. She said that, at a time when the world was still discussing Nelson Mandela’s legacy, attendees should decide to use the International Decade for People of African Descent to work on the unfinished business of his legacy. 9. Several countries, including Brazil and Jamaica, expressed appreciation to Ms. Shepherd for her work during her tenure as Chair-Rapporteur. 10. In accepting her new role, the Chair thanked the other experts for her election and the participants for their support. She added that the Working Group would continue to strive to further strengthen the mandate that had been entrusted to it. C. Organization of work 11. The Working Group adopted the agenda (see annex I) and programme of work. III. Update and briefings on activities undertaken by the Working Group in the past year 12. Under item 5 of the agenda, Ms. Najchevska informed participants that she had presented three reports to the Human Rights Council during its twenty-fourth session: the reports of country visits to Panama from 14 to 18 January 2013 and to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1 to 5 October 2012, and the report on the twelfth session of the Working Group. The reports had been received with appreciation and she was hopeful that the recommendations they contained would be useful. Member States had welcomed the positive aspects reflected in the reports and been eager to introduce the practices referred to in the reports at the national level. She also mentioned that the report on the twelfth session of the Working Group had generated important discussion, especially in relation to the International Decade for People of African Descent. 13. Ms. Shepherd informed participants that, on 4 November 2013, she had attended a meeting of the Third Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York and had made a presentation on the status of the work of the Working Group on the International Decade for People of African Descent. It had been the first time that a member of the Working Group had been asked to make a presentation to the Third Committee. Her presentation had focused on the rationale for lobbying for the International Decade, including the need to pay more serious attention to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, as well as build on the achievements of the International Year for People of African Descent. She pointed out that there had been a vibrant question and answer session at the end of the presentation, as well as a side event that had allowed more detailed discussion on the International Decade and the work of the Working Group; the 4