A/RES/63/242 30. Welcomes the adoption of the laudable initiative led by the States members of the Caribbean Community and other Member States for the establishment of a permanent memorial at the United Nations to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as a contribution towards the fulfilment of paragraph 101 of the Durban Declaration, expresses its appreciation for contributions made to the voluntary fund established in this regard, and urges other countries to contribute to the fund; 31. Urges States to support the activities of existing regional bodies or centres that combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in their respective regions, and recommends the establishment of such bodies in all regions where they do not exist; 32. Recognizes the fundamental role of civil society in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, in particular in assisting States to develop regulations and strategies, in taking measures and action against such forms of discrimination and through follow-up implementation; 33. Reaffirms that the General Assembly is the highest intergovernmental mechanism for the formulation and appraisal of policy on matters relating to the economic, social and related fields, in accordance with Assembly resolution 50/227 of 24 May 1996, and that, together with the Human Rights Council, it shall constitute an intergovernmental process for the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and further reaffirms that the Council shall continue to have a central role in the follow-up to the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action within the United Nations system; 34. Expresses its appreciation for the continuing work of the mechanisms mandated to follow up the World Conference, bearing in mind the assessment of the effectiveness of those mechanisms to be undertaken at the Durban Review Conference; 35. Acknowledges Human Rights Council resolution 9/14 of 24 September 2008, 9 by which the Council decided to extend for three years the mandate of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; 8F 36. Takes note of the convening of the first part of the first session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards from 11 to 21 February 2008, and requests the Ad Hoc Committee to comply with the mandate contained in Human Rights Council decision 3/103;5 37. Acknowledges the centrality of resource mobilization, effective global partnership and international cooperation in the context of paragraphs 157 and 158 of the Durban Programme of Action for the successful realization of commitments undertaken at the World Conference, and to this end emphasizes the importance of the mandate of the group of independent eminent experts on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, especially in mobilizing the necessary political will for the successful implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action; _______________ 9 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-third Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/63/53/Add.1), chap. I. 6