A/HRC/51/54
I. Introduction
1.
The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent held its twenty-ninth
session at the United Nations Office in Geneva from 15 to 19 November 2021 and its thirtieth
session at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 23 to 27 May 2022. The present
report is submitted to the Human Rights Council in accordance with Council resolutions 9/14,
18/28, 27/25, 36/23 and 45/24, in which the Council requested the Working Group to submit
an annual report on all activities relating to its mandate. The report is focused mainly on the
deliberations of the Working Group at its thirtieth session.
2.
Representatives of Member States, international organizations, regional organizations
and non-governmental organizations and invited panellists participated in the thirtieth session
(see annex). It was also webcast and recorded.
II. Organization of the thirtieth session
A.
Opening of the session
3.
In his opening statement, the Director of the New York Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) welcomed the organization of the Working
Group’s first session outside Geneva and recalled the history of the calls for human rights of
people of African descent in the United Nations in New York, by African Americans such as
W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Ralph Abernathy. He stated that,
from an early age, children of African descent were exposed to the harsh realities of racism
and racial discrimination. He noted that racial discrimination was pervasive for people of
African descent, rooted in the systemic nature of racism and the failure to acknowledge,
remedy and redress the legacy of enslavement, colonialism and racial segregation. Moreover,
the collective mission of racial justice, racial equality and human rights was challenged
amidst the rise of white supremacy, neo-fascism, racism, xenophobia and far-right ideologies,
as well as apartheid and Nazism. He expressed the Office’s solidarity with and full support
for the Working Group, adding that its work had never been more important.
4.
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, delivered the keynote address. She
stated that people of African descent existed in a world very much afflicted by systemic
racism, with many of the structures and institutions inheriting and manifesting the prevailing
effects of an unresolved past and that of great empires that still ruled. She highlighted the
importance of reconciling with history through deliberate steps to ensure that the inhumanity
and injustices of the past were never repeated. She also shared how Barbados was grappling
with the legacies of the past while committing to a future that guaranteed equality for all as
enshrined in its Constitution. She encouraged the Working Group and all stakeholders
engaged on the issue to continue to strive for a bright future for children of African descent
through strong partnership and common purpose.
B.
Election of the Chair
5.
Catherine S. Namakula was elected Chair of the Working Group. Barbara G. Reynolds
was elected Vice-Chair.
6.
The outgoing Chair, Dominique Day, welcomed Ms. Namakula as the new Chair of
the Working Group and thanked the other members for their contributions. She
acknowledged the achievements of the Working Group, and the need to continue efforts to
encourage more States to implement the Working Group’s recommendations.
7.
Ms. Namakula thanked the other members for her election, the outgoing Chair for her
work and the participants for their support.
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