A/HRC/24/52 A. Recognition 49. Recognition of people of African descent as a distinct group is essential to increasing their visibility and thus to the full realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms. People of African descent must be recognized among others in national constitutions and legislation, through education, awareness-raising measures and the respect of their cultural rights. Self-recognition is also critical for people of African descent. In order to attain full recognition, data collection is crucial so as to confirm the presence, activities and overall situation of people of African descent. 50. Recognition of people of African descent is related to the recognition of their existence, recognition of their contribution in the world development and recognition of their specific culture, history and heritage. It entails recognizing that people of African Descent are particularly vulnerable to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance across the world, while also recognizing the specific, common history, culture and heritage of people of African descent globally. 51. People of African descent are often categorized as a different race; but “race” is a socially constructed concept. Paragraph 6 of the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference reaffirms that “all peoples and individuals constitute one human family, rich in diversity, and that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”; although throughout the history of humanity, people have been assigned identity based on race, both as a means of distinguishing one group from another, but more importantly as a means of control and domination. Therefore, an important step in the recognition of people of African descent is the deconstruction of the concept of “race”. 52. The recognition by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 21/33 of the term “Afrophobia”, as had been recommended by the Working Group, requires an active and systematic follow-up in order to assure the full implementation of this important assertion of the special and unique form of discrimination faced by people of African descent and assuring its equal use with analogous terms that are used to address the stigmatization and prejudice against ethnic, religious and other vulnerable groups. 53. The Working Group invites the General Assembly to consider establishing as a result of the Decade a United Nations permanent forum for people of African descent to serve as a consultation mechanism for representative organizations of people of African descent and other interested stakeholder. B. Education 1. Conclusions 54. Education is an inalienable human right. It is more than a mere commodity or service. It is an indispensable tool that can help humanity to move towards societies free from poverty, exclusion, discrimination, oppression, injustice and war. 55. The right to education is not enjoyed equally by all; millions of girls, boys, women and men of African descent suffer disproportionately from unequal access to quality education. Failure to ensure equal access to education robs people of their opportunity to reach their full human potential and to contribute to the development of their own communities and society at large. 56. In many instances, areas in which people of African descent reside often have poor education facilities and lack the proper infrastructure conducive to enabling teaching and learning. The impact of residential patterns on school enrolments should 13