A/HRC/21/60 others moved to Middle East and Russia in previous centuries through the trans-Saharan slave trade. 56. Mr. Diène expressed concern that racism was on the rise and suggested the inclusion of the concept of identity in the programme. He emphasized that it was essential to promote multiculturalism and not victimize people of African descent. Legal strategies should be used to combat racism and legislators should include international human rights standards in their national policies. Mr. Diène stressed that people of African descent were not the only group that were victims of racism and racial discrimination and that in the context of multicultural societies, it was necessary to interact with other communities and unify actions in order to fight against discrimination. 57. During the interactive discussion, the importance of taking a multicultural or intercultural approach was raised in terms of promoting shared respect for cultures and identities and exchanges between cultural groups within a society. 58. In her presentation on the objectives and principal actors of the Decade, Ms. Sahli pointed out that racism remained powerful in many societies. She said the main objective of the General Assembly’s proposal for a Decade for People of African Descent was to eliminate racism and to raise awareness of the issue throughout the world. She stressed that non-discrimination should be applied to all rights and enshrined in the constitutions of all States. Re-establishing equality and promoting the right to full citizenship are some of the objectives on which actions should be focused. Economic, social and cultural rights should be also a priority for the decade. She emphasized that other objectives should include: the reduction of the precariousness in which people of African descent are living; employment; racial profiling; access to health care; right to education; and revision of curricula in order to include the history of all people of African descent. 59. She stressed the importance of collecting disaggregated data, conducting research, and establishing a United Nations Permanent Forum for people of African descent. She then added that it would be necessary to adopt a declaration for the promotion of the rights of people of African descent and to develop complementary standards. She emphasized that communities of people of African descent, especially young people, were key participants in the fight against racial discrimination thanks to their dynamism and commitment to pursue equality. This participation should be capitalized on. 60. The Chairperson reiterated that in many countries history was not a compulsory subject in the schools’ curricula; she stressed the need to review and revise curricula in order to address this deficiency. 61. In her presentation on Basic Components of the Programme of Action, Ms. Biswas stated that it had become clear that the community of humankind could not claim progress of equality and human rights unless it could defeat poverty, racism and any sort of disparity. She said that in order to remedy historic injustice, efforts should be made to ensure access to education, development and health. She noted that social investment in childhood and youth as a strategy to combat poverty could help prevent the continued exclusion of people of African descent from the benefits of economic, social and human development. 62. She stressed the need to develop a programme of action which included special measures, plans and policies in areas such as employment, housing, education and culture in order to bring a sense of fairness and parity between people of African descent and the rest of the population. Such measures should include a gender focus. Ms. Biswas called for further action to promote the rights of people of African descent, including the creation of offices to monitor and respond to human rights violations and the adoption of affirmative action policies. 13