A/70/309 III. Conclusions 35. The present report and the range of activities in which the Working Group has been involved during the reporting period demonstrate that the Working Group has embraced the opportunity provided by its mandate to popularize the idea that the human rights, inherent dignity and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent are important and must be respected. 36. The worldwide escalation of Afrophobia, xenophobia and related intolerance continues to be a matter of concern. 37. The Working Group will use the opportunity created by the International Decade for People of African Descent to intensify efforts to raise awareness of issues pertaining to people of African descent. Education is a fundamental tool in breaking down stereotypes and cultural barriers and all members are committed to spreading the message through all means necessary in order to attain those goals. 38. The country visits undertaken by the Working Group show how structures established based on racial bias or discrimination continue to have a lasting and detrimental effect on people of African descent and Africans in the diaspora. 39. The Working Group finds that equal rights for people of African descent or Africans have yet to be attained. 40. The Working Group is convinced that the Decade should also afford an opportunity to analyse gender discrimination faced by people of African descent and will consider intersectional forms of discrimination faced by people of African descent. 41. The transatlantic slave trade, enslavement and colonialism are still to be recognized by all States as crimes against humanity. In that context, it is important and relevant that the General History of Africa prepared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in particular volume IX thereof, be popularized in all regions. 42. The Working Group is ready to participate actively in all decisions and activities concerning the Decade and to assist all stakeholders and strengthen partnerships between Governments, civil society and people of African descent themselves to implement the programme of activities for the Decade and finally ensure justice for the millions of people of African descent and Africans. 43. The Working Group fervently hopes that at its first session the Forum for People of African Descent will consider the challenges identified in the course of the Decade and proposes that the Forum focus at that session on justice. 44. The Working Group recognizes that, without the essential contribution of civil society and non-governmental organizations, efforts to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia, Islamophobia and related intolerance remain invisible. The link between their work, States’ work and the work of various United Nations mechanisms must be strengthened and made visible by equitable partnerships and developed jointly. 15-13565 9/9