Press Release
President of General Assembly and High Commissioner for Human Rights call on Member States to proclaim Second International Decade for People of African Descent
New York, 8 November 2024 – At a high-level meeting to mark the closure of the International Decade for People of African Descent, the President of the UN General Assembly Philémon Yang and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Member States to proclaim a Second International Decade that would build on the achievements of the past ten years and address persistent challenges.
The high-level meeting, convened by President Yang, was an opportunity to assess progress made and address challenges in the implementation of the programme of activities of the International Decade for People of African Descent during the period 2015-2024. The International Decade had as its theme “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development”.
“Bold and urgent action is needed to secure for people of African descent the human rights and dignity to which they are entitled,” Mr. Yang stated at the opening of the high-level event.
“As President of the General Assembly, I am firmly committed to advancing these rights. Our efforts toward recognition, justice, and development must extend beyond 2024, and I strongly support the consideration of a Second International Decade to sustain these goals,” he added.
“From science to the arts to development and political theory, it is simply impossible to imagine our world without the enormous and groundbreaking contributions of people of African descent. We must recognize, cherish and celebrate these contributions, past and present,” Mr. Türk stated.
He also added that decisive action was required to dismantle systemic racism, address historical injustices, confront the legacies of enslavement and colonialism and deliver reparatory justice. He concluded that “A Second International Decade, informed by the experiences of people of African descent, is key to achieving this goal.”
The full day high-level meeting featured three interactive panel discussions focused on the main areas of the International Decade: recognition, justice and development. Participants discussed the achievements and efforts made by States, international and regional organizations, national human rights bodies, and non-governmental organizations.
For instance, more than 30 countries have changed their laws and policies to tackle racial discrimination and address the specific issues faced by people of African descent – in some cases for the first time. The Decade has also promoted racial justice and equality globally and led to the establishment of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent and the creation of International Days to celebrate the contributions of people of African descent, including women and girls.
Despite these and other advances, it is clear that people of African descent worldwide continue to suffer from systemic racism, which is rooted in the legacies of enslavement and colonialism and prevent the realization of their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.
Today’s high-level meeting identified a set of recommendations for the way forward, including actions to dismantle systemic racism, pursue reparatory justice, invest in disaggregated data, and ensure that racial equality is at the heart of sustainable development policies.
For more details: https://www.un.org/pga/79/high-level-meeting-on-international-decade-for-people-of-african-descent/
For more information and media requests, please contact:
Dr. Mariam Shaikh, Adviser / Social and Digital Media/Media Relations, Office of the President of the UN General Assembly, Email: mariam.shaikh@un.org
Laura Gelbert, Media & Communications Officer for UN Human Rights, Email: gelbert@un.org
