A/HRC/24/52 18. During the interactive discussion, Ms. Najcevska emphasized the need to have clarity on the influence of cultures of people of African descent at the global level, particularly in relation to the proposed International Decade for People of African Descent. She mentioned the need to highlight the role of women while building monuments and memorials, as women who had contributed to the liberation struggle were often forgotten. An NGO representative enquired about a proposal discussed in New York to construct a memorial to honour the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, and asked whether that monument had indeed been constructed. Ms. Sahli commented that it was important to identify why, how and for whom the reappropriation of culture was being undertaken. She further added that dialogue between Africa and the rest of the diaspora and cooperation were equally important on that matter. 19. Ms. Shepherd responded that the monument had still not been constructed as donations were still needed to fund it. She informed the meeting that discussions about the memorial were still ongoing at the international level and that Jamaica had been leading the project. Ms. Baca also endorsed the comments made on dialogue and international cooperation, and that it was important to establish further linkages with Africa in the process of promoting the rights of people of African descent. 20. Ms. Fanon Mendes-France delivered a presentation entitled “From thoughtless racism to recognition”. Her presentation focused on the causes behind the emergence of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia, as well as challenges in combating those violations. She stated that ontological hierarchies created differences along racial lines and outlined the impact of history, particularly colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, and present-day neocolonialism as factors contributing to the emergence of racism. She also added that the ideological superstructure of the State fed further exclusion and emphasized that the non-existence of the so-called distinct human races had been scientifically proven and that all people and individuals constituted one human family, rich in diversity. She mentioned that it was increasingly recognized that race was itself a social construct, reflecting ideological attempts to legitimize domination. Racism was, therefore, not about objective characteristics, but about relationships of domination and subordination, which created stigmatization and violence, and perpetuating economic, social and political inequalities and exploitation. Based on that argument, she therefore proposed a process of deconstruction of the very concept of race as a step towards eliminating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. In conclusion, Ms. Fanon MendesFrance highlighted that true recognition could not be achieved without the end of race. Recognition should therefore aim at achieving full and effective equality for all, in all aspects of life and social interactions. Finally, she proposed in the context of the International Decade for People of African Descent the creation of a group to work on the conceptual deconstruction of racism as an essential process for recognition, justice and development for all individuals and groups. 21. Heidi Safia Mirza, Professor at the Institute of Education at the University of London, delivered a presentation on “Multiculturalism and teacher education: Tackling the underperformance of children of African descent”. She started her presentation by explaining that, while her presentation was a case study of a specific country, the problems identified in the area of education could be related to the challenges faced by people of African descent in attaining access to quality education in any other country. Ms. Mirza stated that, despite a long history of multiculturalism in the United Kingdom, it was considered as a “failed project” and one of the markers of the lack of “multicultural success” had been the considerable differences in educational attainment between different ethnic groups. According to Ms. Mirza, research had shown that, while the improvements in school quality (as measured by class size, teachers’ qualifications, school type, resources, leadership, etc.) and effectiveness had been significant, gaps in achievement remained endemic, especially among pupils of African descent. 6