A/HRC/24/52 40. Ms. Biswas delivered a presentation on “Recognition and Cultural Rights”. She stated that people of African descent formed parts of multicultural societies. In doing so, they were at the risk of losing their unique individual or group identity to the more dominant native cultures. She said that, for centuries, people of African descent worldwide had played a significant role in industrialization, urbanization and the advance of formal education, science and technology, but had not gained proper recognition for their contribution. Ms. Biswas added that, while colour prejudice had been an outstanding form of social discrimination, other forms of prejudice remained significant. She suggested highlighting endangered cultural and ethnic identities and recognizing that ideal social, ethnic and cultural equality required action from all. In the same context, Ms. Biswas recommended the adoption of affirmative action as a way forward to remedy the suffering of the past exclusions of people of African descent. She stated that the world community at large owed something to the African diaspora – partly out of concern for equitable distribution of the benefits of human society and partly in recognition of the unfair price paid by people of African descent in constructing the modern world. 41. Rita Pemberton, Trinidad and Tobago Organisation for People of African Descent, made a presentation on the topic “People of African Descent and Cultural Rights”. She introduced the work of her organization in promoting the rights of people of African descent in the Caribbean through to grassroots awareness-raising and community outreach activities. She pointed out that the end of colonialism and the institution of self-rule did not mean the end of discrimination against people of African descent in the Caribbean. According to her, discrimination found its roots causes in history. Contemporary manifestations of racism were in some cases more subtle, but institutionalized. While African culture permeated the very being of the people, many had been schooled not to acknowledge its existence and influence whether with respect to food, dance, music, traditional medicine, folklore, proverbs and sayings, religion and beliefs, art and craft, economics, theatre or any other sphere of human activity. 42. Ms. Pemberton offered a number of recommendations, including the promotion of the International Decade for People of African Descent, a systematic mechanism for the promotion of the culture of people of African descent and the establishment of a network to facilitate trade and cultural exchange, promote interaction and collaboration within the African diaspora and between these communities and Africa. The discussion with Ms. Pemberton was held remotely via audio teleconference in Trinidad and Tobago, and included the active participation of schoolchildren from a local school. 43. The representative from the European Union made a statement on behalf of her group and reiterated the European Union’s position regarding some of the issues raised by the Working Group. The representative underlined the active engagement and commitment to the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance of the European Union. The representative stated that International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination remained the fundamental legal basis of the international community to fight discrimination. 44. The representative reiterated the importance the European Union attached to avoiding both the collectivization of human rights and the creation of a hierarchy of discrimination. It expressed its objection to the Working Group’s general approach to collective rights and the need to adopt special measures. The representative also expressed the European Union’s rejection of cultural relativism. On the International Decade for People of African Descent, the representative reiterated the European Union’s concerns about the scope and nature of the Decade, as it covered a broad range of themes and situations, which needed very different responses that were not to be incorporated within a general framework of affirmative action. It welcomed the fact that the General Assembly resolution 67/155 requested the President of the General Assembly, in consultation with Member States, relevant United Nations programmes and agencies, and civil society, to launch a preparatory process for the proclamation of the Decade of People of African 11