The case against the establishment of IDPADA-G

May 03, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – The biggest mistake that the APNU+AFC government made in promoting the International Decade for People of African Descent was to outsource the work of the Decade to a non-governmental assembly. The establishment of the International Decade of People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G) effectively delinked government from a direct role in fulfilling the mandate of the international decade.

This was a huge mistake that has now come back to haunt the APNU and AFC. The work of the international decade is now hobbled by the loss of government financing. Had the government been directly involved in the promoting the programme of action for the international decade, it would have been more difficult, but not impossible, for any government to extricate itself from the locally-developed programme of action.

But there are other reasons why the government should have been more directly involved. The work of the international decade in Guyana got off to a lethargic start. There was lethargy and in-fighting during the first five years of the decade. Little was achieved and this reduced the time available to pursue a programme of recognition, justice and development for persons of African descent. Had the government been involved or had a national commission been established for the international decade, it is likely that more progress would have been made and made quicker.

Another reason why the decision was a mistake was that the United Nations itself placed an obligation on States themselves, rather than organisations within States, to promote respect, protection and fulfillment of the rights of people of African descent worldwide. The ambitious action envisaged by the United Nations cannot be attained without the direct participation of governments in the work of the international decade.

Governments had key obligations including formulating and implementing policies aimed at addressing the historical and contemporary injustices faced by people of African descent. This included measures to combat racial discrimination, promote equality and non-discrimination, and ensure access to justice and effective remedies for victims of racial discrimination.

States were obligated to enact and enforce laws that prohibit racial discrimination in all its forms and ensure equal protection of the law for people of African descent. This involved reviewing and amending existing legislation to remove discriminatory provisions and enact new laws to address emerging challenges faced by the African descent communities.

States were further encouraged to recognise, celebrate, and promote the rich cultural heritage and contributions of people of African descent to the societies in which they live. This included supporting cultural events, festivals, and initiatives aimed at preserving and promoting African descent culture and history. States were responsible for promoting education and awareness-raising activities to combat stereotypes, prejudices, and negative perceptions associated with people of African descent. This involved integrating education on the history, culture, and contributions of African descent communities into school curricula and conducting public awareness campaigns to promote tolerance and understanding.

States were called upon to take measures to address the socio-economic inequalities and disparities faced by people of African descent. This included promoting access to education, healthcare, employment, housing, and other essential services, as well as implementing affirmative action measures to ensure equal opportunities for African descent individuals and communities.

In addition, States were expected to collect disaggregated data on the socio-economic situation of people of African descent and monitor progress in addressing their rights and needs. This involved establishing mechanisms for data collection, analysis, and reporting to identify areas of concern and measure the impact of policies and programs aimed at advancing the rights of African descent communities.

It is not difficult to see how given the need to address these systemic issues how the government could have outsourced the work of the decade to a non-governmental assembly. This was a fatal mistake. It was always asking too much for IDPADA-G to be saddled with all these obligations. The scope of the work envisaged for the International Decade for People of African Descent necessitated direct government involvement due to the multifaceted nature of the challenges faced by African descent communities, many of which required legislative and political action.

Issues such as combating racial discrimination, enacting anti-discrimination laws, promoting equality in access to education and employment, addressing socio-economic disparities, and ensuring access to justice for victims of discrimination all required strong governmental leadership and intervention. Legislative reforms, policy formulation, and the allocation of resources were crucial in addressing systemic inequalities and advancing the rights and well-being of people of African descent. Given the belated and lethargic start to its work, any programme would have had to be scaled down. But much more could and would have been achieved had the government actually been directly involved in managing the programme for the international decade for Guyana.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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• APNU+AFC, establishment, Government, International Decade for People of African Descent, Peeping Tom

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