A/HRC/39/69
The discussion had focused on issues of perception, representation, historical stereotyping
and portrayal in the media; racial bias and stereotypes in the justice sector; stereotypes in
the education, housing, employment and health sectors; and gender and other forms of
stereotypes faced by people of African descent, and the participants had deliberated on
good practices to combat such stereotypes. The Working Group was planning to develop a
thematic report based on the discussions at the meeting and its ongoing research.
19.
The Working Group had continued its work on advancing engagement with financial
and development institutions. It had commenced preparation of a draft set of operational
guidelines on the Sustainable Development Goals in relation to people of African descent.
It aimed to field-test the guidelines by engaging with national authorities and partners to
promote the human rights of people of African descent in national programming processes.
During the reporting period, Working Group members Mr. Reid and Mr. Balcerzak had
taken part in a panel on international human rights mechanisms and the role of national
human rights institutions in supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, which was held during the high-level political forum on the
Sustainable Development Goals in New York on 13 July 2017. The Working Group had
also held a meeting on 3 November 2017 with the United Nations Development Group in
New York on the operational guidelines and received valuable feedback.
20.
The Chair opened the floor for Member States. The representative of Brazil reported
that in the previous year it had, together with several other Member States, presented a
resolution on the elaboration of a draft declaration on the promotion and full respect of
human rights of people of African descent. The speaker reaffirmed the support of Brazil for
such a declaration, stressed the importance of addressing multiple and intersecting forms of
discrimination and urged all Member States and relevant stakeholders to start negotiations
on the draft declaration as a concrete outcome of the International Decade for People of
African Descent. The representative also recommended the creation of an international
forum of people of African descent. The representative of Togo, on behalf of the African
Group, expressed eagerness to follow up the processes recommended in the Durban
Declaration and Programme of Action to raise awareness of the ongoing consequences of
the enslavement and colonialism suffered by people of African descent. The representative
of Peru noted that Peru was one of the co-authors, along with Brazil, of the abovementioned resolution. The representative of Canada stated that on 30 January 2018 its
Prime Minister had announced official recognition of the International Decade. The
representatives of Haiti and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expressed satisfaction at
participating in the session of the Working Group.
IV. Summary of deliberations
Thematic analysis
21.
The Working Group devoted its twenty-second session to the theme “Framework for
a declaration on the promotion and full respect of human rights of people of African
descent”.
22.
The first panel discussion focused on violent manifestations of racism, racial
discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia and related intolerance through extremist
ideologies, hate speech and incitement to hatred. The topic was discussed pursuant to
Human Rights Council resolution 36/23 on the mandate of the Working Group, in which
the Council requested “the Working Group to pay special attention in its annual report to
the rising tide of racism and racial hatred, as evidenced by the resurgence of white
supremacist ideologies, and extremist nationalist and populist ideologies, and to make
specific recommendations in this regard.”
23.
Mr. Sunga delivered a presentation entitled “Reflections on right-wing extremism”.
He shared the experience of the Working Group during their country visits, during which
they had observed the effects of right-wing extremism on the lives of people of African
descent. He attributed the lack of understanding and fear of the person of African descent to
recent migration trends, the perceived stress on national economies and social welfare
6