A/HRC/33/61 I. Introduction 1. The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent held its seventeenth session from 23 to 27 November 2015 and its eighteenth session from 11 to 15 April 2016 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. The seventeenth session was attended by all the members: Michal Balcerzak, Sabelo Gumedze, Mireille Fanon Mendes-France, Verene Shepherd and Ricardo A. Sunga III. Ms. Shepherd completed her term as member of the Working Group at the end of November 2015. Her successor, Mr. Ahmed Reid (Jamaica), was appointed in December 2015 and joined Mr. Balcerzak, Ms. Fanon Mendes-France and Mr. Sunga at the eighteenth session of the Working Group. The present report is submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolutions 9/14, 18/28 and 27/25, in which the Working Group was requested to submit an annual report to the Council on all activities relating to its mandate. The report is focused mainly on the deliberations at the eighteenth session of the Working Group. 2. Representatives of Member States, the Holy See, international organizations, regional organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and invited panellists participated in the eighteenth session of the Working Group (see annex). II. Organization of the eighteenth session A. Opening of the session 3. Mona Rishmawi, Chief of the Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), opened the session and welcomed all participants. 4. Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her opening statement expressed appreciation for the Working Group’s commitment, in its work, to protecting and promoting the rights of people of African descent. She emphasized the inextricable links and interdependence among the three themes of the International Decade for People of African Descent. Regarding the issue of recognition, she said that it was crucial to acknowledge the legacy of enslavement as well as the rich history and culture of people of African descent and Africans before enslavement. She added that the gap between laws to combat racial discrimination and the reality of structural discrimination, which impeded the delivery of justice, should be recognized. 5. She echoed the sentiments that the Working Group, together with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, had expressedon the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – namely, that very little progress had been made in tackling racism, Afrophobia, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, while there had been an alarming increase of hate speech across the globe. She added that the Sustainable Development Goals must incorporate the human rights principles of non-discrimination and equality. In the context of the International Decade, she called upon States to share information on initiatives taken at the national level to prioritize protection of the human rights of people of African descent. She expressed the hope that Member States would be soon taking steps to establish a forum for people of African descent. She conveyed the firm commitment of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to advancing the rights of people of African descent, including in his capacity as the Coordinator of the International Decade. 3