A/HRC/33/61
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
19 July 2016
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Thirty-third session
Agenda item 9
Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
forms of intolerance, follow-up to and implementation of
the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of
African Descent on its seventeenth and eighteenth sessions
Note by the Secretariat
The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of
the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its seventeenth and
eighteenth sessions, prepared pursuant to Council resolutions 9/14, 18/28 and 27/25. During
its seventeenth session, held in Geneva from 23 to 27 November 2015, the Working Group
held private discussions. Its eighteenth session, held in Geneva from 11 to 15 April 2016,
focused on the theme of “Interlinkages between recognition, justice and development”.
Acknowledging the interdependence and interrelatedness of the three pillars of the
International Decade for People of African Descent, the Working Group reiterated its
recommendations made to States, international organizations, civil society and United
Nations agencies, funds and programmes at its previous sessions with regard to the three
pillars of the International Decade. It emphasized the importance of full implementation of
General Assembly resolution 69/16, including its provisions for the establishment of a
forum to serve as a consultation mechanism and for the drafting of a United Nations
declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African
descent. The Working Group also called for the development of comprehensive national
action plans to tackle racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related
intolerance and urged all stakeholders to actively oppose negative stereotyping of people of
African descent on the basis of ethnicity, religion and origin, with a specific focus on
combating hate speech and incitement to hatred through media and political statements.
The annex of the present report is reproduced as received, in the language of submission only.
GE.16-12438(E)