A/76/302 49. In advance of the midterm review of the Decade and the twentieth annivers ary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the Working Group conducted five regional consultations with civil society at its twenty -sixth session 33 and collected written inputs from civil society, Member States and international organizations in response to two calls for inputs on the midterm review of the Decade (January 2020) and on the current human rights situation of people of African descent (June 2021). 34 Eight States and regional organizations have officially launched the Decade, 35 and several States have taken legislative and policy measures on behalf of people of African descent. 50. In Canada, the Black parliamentary caucus set recommendations for the Government to address systemic barriers that foster discrimination ag ainst people of African descent, including access to financial aid of up to $250,000 for Black -owned businesses or Black entrepreneurs for start-ups or existing for-profit small businesses, 36 seeking to unlock potential for Canadians of African descent str uggling to gain access to financial aid. In Tunisia, the adoption of Decree No. 2021 -203 resulted in the creation of the National Commission for the Fight against Racial Discrimination, and the State convened a body to look at how public policy decision making affects people of African descent. 51. Among the most recent developments, the Working Group heralds the adoption of the European Union anti-racism action plan 2020–2025 37 and the launch in the United States in 2021 of a “whole-of-government equity agenda that matches the scale of the opportunities and challenges that we face”. 38 The Working Group further welcomes local, national and regional initiatives to undertake truth seeking and limited forms of reparations, such as the CARICOM 10-Point Reparation Plan, the decolonization of public spaces, schoolbooks and national memories, the return of African cultural heritage, as well as acknowledgements, apologies and litigation for historical atrocities committed against people of African descent. 52. Individual, community and civil society efforts have also offered leadership in acknowledging and committing to anti-racism in different sectors. Civil society plays a crucial role in dismantling systemic racism. Civil society groups provide leadership in the global protests against racism. In 2021, among other things, civil society action sensitized Member States, urged decisive and historic action, and served as standard bearers at national, international and intergovernmental processes at key points in the past year and before. 53. Furthermore, professional athletes, and some sports organizations, have offered particular leadership. The practice of “taking a knee” during the playing of national anthems in advance of sporting events, reignited through the activi sm of Colin Kaepernick, who lost his American football career with this visible demand for __________________ 33 34 35 36 37 38 16/22 See www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Racism/WGAfricanDescent/Pages/Session26.aspx . All written submissions are available at www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Racism/WGAfricanDescent/ Pages/urgency-of-now.aspx. A compilation of the various actions taken by States can be found on the website of the International Decade for People of African Descent, maintained by the Department of Global Communications (www.un.org/en/observances/decade-people-african-descent/actions-taken), and in the online anti-discrimination database maintained by OHCHR (https://adsdatabase.ohchr.org/ SitePages/Anti-discrimination%20database.aspx). The Canadian Press, “Federal Government launches loan program for Black -owned businesses”, Todayville, 31 May 2021. Available at www.todayville.com/federal-government-launches-loanprogram-for-black-owned-businesses/. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combattingdiscrimination/racism-and-xenophobia/eu-anti-racism-action-plan-2020-2025_en. See www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-orderadvancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federalgovernment/. 21-11641