International Decade for People of African Descent begins

Jan 11, 2015 News

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“Over the next ten years people everywhere are encouraged to take part in global conversation on the realities faced by people of African descent. The decade will allow us to explore the challenge faced by people of African descent due to the pervasive racism and racial discrimination engrained in our societies. The theme of the International decade, ‘recognition, justice and development’ provides an excellent platform for that global conversation to take place.”
This is according to Sam Kahamba Kutesa, a Ugandan lawyer and politician who is the current president of the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. When he addressed a gathering during the UN Human Rights Day observed on December 10 last year, he posited that the decade should be used for reflection and to pave a way forward.
The decade started 10 days ago when the world ushered in a new year on January 1, 2015 and will end on December 31, 2024.
Mr. Kutesa said that human rights issues affecting people of African descent are present on every continent and has to be addressed.
For almost two weeks last April, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) met to develop a programme of activities for the International Decade for People of African Descent.
The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent was established by the Commission on Human Rights resolution of April 25, 2002 and the Geneva Centre has expressed support for the initiative and outlined the background and objectives of the decade ahead.
The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action acknowledged that people of African descent have been victims of slavery, the slave trade, and colonialism, and continue to be victims of their consequences.  The Durban process raised the visibility of people of African descent and contributed to a substantive advancement in the promotion and protection of their rights, due to concrete actions taken by States, the United Nations, other international and regional bodies and civil society.
“However, people of African descent throughout the world continue to make up some of the poorest and most marginalised groups, whether as descendants of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade or as more recent victims,” it was noted.
According to the UN, studies and findings by international and national bodies demonstrate that people of African descent still have limited access to quality education and health services, housing and social security. Their situation in many cases remains largely invisible and insufficient recognition and respect has been given to the efforts of People of African Descent to seek redress for their present conditions.
“People of African Descent experience discrimination in access to justice and face alarmingly high rates of police violence along with racial profiling. Further, they have low levels of political participation both in terms of voting and in occupying political positions. Many people of African Descent suffer multiple aggravated and compounded forms of discrimination based on other related grounds, such as age, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, social origin, property, birth, or other status.”
The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue believe that the promotion and protection of the human rights of people of African Descent should be a priority concern for the United Nations. They welcomed the international decade for People of African Descent as a timely and important initiative.
“The decade represents a unique opportunity to underline the important contribution made People of African Descent to our societies and to take concrete measures to promote full inclusion of People of African Descent and combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.”
The main objective of the decade, the UN pointed out, is to promote respect, protection, and fulfilment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people of African Descent, as recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“This main objective can be achieved through the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the outcome documents of the Durban Review Conference, and through universal accession to or ratification of and full implementation obligations arising under the international conventions on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, and other relevant international and regional human rights instruments.”
Some of the specific objectives for the 10-year observance period are to strengthen national, regional, and international action and cooperation in relation to the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights by People of African Descent, and their full and equal participation in all aspects of society.
The decade will seek to promote greater knowledge of and respect for the diverse heritage, culture, and contribution to the development of societies. To adopt, strengthen, and effectively implement national, regional, and international legal frameworks in order to ensure the full and effective implementation of the DDPA and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).
Chairman of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) Reparations Committee, Dr. Hilary Beckles in a feature Address in the United States last December urged European nations to rise to their responsibilities for the roles they placed in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade which lasted for more than half a decade.
He urged the nations to also recognize the current day events and woes that are as a direct result of the enslavement of African peoples. The Caribbean-born University Pro-vice-chancellor had opined that the decade towards the African peoples would be the perfect time for the Europeans to try to right the wrongs that they committed.

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