A/HRC/36/60 prejudices, strengthened oppressive institutions and emboldened those who would perpetrate acts of hate. In addition, the lack of recognition of and reparations for the centuries of harm to people of African descent must be addressed as a human rights imperative. 48. The Working Group welcomed suggestions to enhance its engagement with civil society, including through the production of educational materials which would link the themes of the Decade to existing human rights standards such as the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; providing opportunities for the international community of civil society organizations and human rights defenders working to combat racism against people of African descent to connect across their different countries and regions; increasing accessibility through improved use of available communications technology; and making the demand for reparatory justice for people of African descent a central part of its work in the coming years. Mr. Reid also highlighted civil society submissions on this topic, including the suggestion that a session of the Working Group should be held outside Geneva to allow greater participation for civil society. 3 V. Conclusions and recommendations 49. The Working Group concluded its twentieth session on the theme “Leaving no one behind: people of African descent and the Sustainable Development Goals” and adopted the following conclusions and recommendations. 50. The Working Group thanked Member States and representatives of international organizations and civil society for their active participation. Ms. Fanon Mendes-France, attending her last session as a member of the Working Group, made a statement outlining her experiences, achievements and challenges during her tenure with the Working Group. A. Conclusions 51. The Sustainable Development Goals and the International Decade for People of African Descent present opportunities for concrete action to advance the human rights of people of African descent. Structural racism, racial discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia and related intolerance are the root causes of inequality and must be addressed. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development envisages a world of universal respect for equality and non-discrimination between and within countries, including gender equality, by reaffirming the responsibilities of all States to respect, protect and promote human rights, without distinction of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, national and social origin, property, birth, disability or other status. In adopting the Goals, States have pledged that no one will be left behind and to reach the furthest behind first. The Goals are clearly focusing on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable. 52. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in its general recommendation No. 34 recalled that racism and structural discrimination against people of African descent, rooted in the infamous regime of slavery, are evident in the situations of inequality affecting them and reflected, inter alia, in the following domains: their grouping, together with indigenous peoples, among the poorest of the poor; their low rate of participation and representation in political and institutional decision-making processes; additional difficulties they face in access to and completion and quality of education, which results in the transmission of poverty from generation to generation; inequality in access to the labour market; limited social recognition and 3 For more information see www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Racism/WGAfricanDescent/Pages/WGEPADConsultationCivilSociety201 7.aspx. 13