A/HRC/39/69 Philippines. In a presentation to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on November 29, 2017, Ms. Petrus-Barry had noted that during all the fact-finding country visits undertaken by the Working Group, racial profiling had been identified as a major hindrance for people of African descent in the enjoyment of their human rights. In February 2018, Ms. Petrus-Barry had contributed to activities during the Month of Africa and People of African Descent in Guadeloupe, at which she had given a presentation on the programme of activities of the International Decade for People of African Descent to local NGOs that were looking for ways to implement the International Decade. She had also given a series of interviews regarding the International Decade in various media outlets. Mr. Balcerzak had given a presentation on the rise of populism and far-right movements in Europe at a seminar at the University of Liège in February 2018, an event that was co-organized by OHCHR. 15. During the reporting period, the Governments of Belgium, Norway and Uruguay had extended invitations to the Working Group to visit in 2019 and the Governments of Switzerland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had invited the Working Group to visit in 2020. The Working Group expressed its appreciation to all the Governments that have cooperated with the mandate and invited it to undertake country visits. The Working Group had requested invitations to visit other countries and emphasized the importance of confirming dates and allowing visits to be planned and to proceed on schedule. 16. During the reporting period, and in accordance with its mandate, the Working Group had sent eight communications regarding allegations of human rights violations to Brazil, Guyana, Libya, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The communications sent and replies received had been included in the joint communications reports of special procedures mandate holders submitted to the Council (A/HRC/39/27, A/HRC/38/54 and A/HRC/37/80). The Working Group urged States to address human rights violations faced by people of African descent seriously and to take effective measures to end impunity and structural racism. 17. The Working Group also issued several media statements during the reporting period. On 16 August 2017, it warned that racism and xenophobia were on the rise across the United States in the wake of the far-right demonstrations and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. On 6 October 2017, it joined several special procedures mandate holders in a statement calling for urgent action to end the disproportionate impact of the death penalty on people from poorer communities. On 30 November 2017, the Working Group joined other special procedures mandate holders and issued an urgent call for action to ensure a future based on equality, justice and solidarity, marking the thirty-first anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development. That same day, it also joined in a statement urging the Government of Libya to take urgent action to end the country’s trade in enslaved Africans, after shocking images showing an auction of Africans were captured on video and televised across the globe. On 1 March 2018, the Working Group joined several special procedures mandate holders in a statement urging an immediate halt of plans to deport Eritrean and Sudanese nationals from Israel. On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, the Working Group, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued a joint statement urging States to act against resurgent hate and structural discrimination. On 26 March 2018, the Working Group joined a statement expressing alarm over the killing of prominent AfroBrazilian human rights defender Marielle Franco, who had decried the use of force by the military in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On 27 April 2018, the Working Group issued a statement expressing serious concerns over the deaths of people of African descent and of ethnic minorities in custody, which reinforced concerns about “structural racism” in the United Kingdom. 18. Following the internal session of the Working Group in November 2017 and the Regional Meeting on the International Decade for People of African Descent on 25 and 26 November, the Working Group had also organized a meeting on addressing racial stereotypes of people of African descent, with the participation of members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and several civil society activists. 5