E/CN.4/2005/21 page 19 19. Organizations and associations engaged in combating racial discrimination should be encouraged to develop/facilitate collaboration with trade unions, employers’ organizations and other groups involved in fair practices in employment. 20. States should set up domestic mechanisms, including ombudsperson offices where appropriate, to receive, handle and follow up on complaints from victims of recruitment and employment-related discrimination affecting people of African descent. Racism and health 21. The Working Group endorses the recommendations concerning racism and health submitted by the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, as adopted at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group. 22. States should support the collection of comprehensive, disaggregated racial data on access to medical treatment and disparities in this treatment including: (a) routine and systematic collection of race, gender, and socio-economic class data as related to health status and health care; (b) data on access and quality of health care (particularly service delivery, diagnosis and treatment, facility availability, provider availability, and other related health activities and services); and (c) making all data available to the public. 23. States should improve and, where necessary, establish mechanisms and processes to systematically assess health and socio-economic data in order to detect disparities based on racial discrimination, with the view to enhancing the enforcement of international human rights standards. 24. States should support research and projects focused on understanding the causal pathways of racism’s effects on health, in order to tailor legislation and remedial social policies accordingly. 25. States should ensure access by people of African descent to quality health care, including preventive programmes, screening, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up services and special care. In these respects, States should ensure the availability of the necessary drugs and treatments. 26. States should ensure that health-care research clinical trials and health-care developments, including those related to biochemistry, duly take into consideration the health needs of people of African descent and are translated into effective clinical practice. 27. States should ensure that the health care for people of African descent is sensitive to their cultural backgrounds and language needs. 28. States should undertake positive measures to increase the education and training of people of African descent as health-care professionals.

Select target paragraph3