Newsletter - July 2010

Afro-descendants

The Department of International Law has continued to pursue its work on the Afro-descendant question. See link: http://www.oas.org/dil/esp/afrodescendientes.htm (only in Spanish).

Firstly, the department participated in the ninth session of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, April 12-16, 2010.

At that session, the Working Group analyzed problems related to structural discrimination, and constituted a forum to receive contributions for the International Year for People of African Descent (2011).

In this regard, the department made a presentation to the Group of Experts on proposals to be considered for the International Year, several of which were reflected in the meeting’s final documents.

To follow up on some of the planned activities, the president of the Working Group of Experts will visit the department this September.

The OAS General Assembly, meeting in Lima, Peru, in June 2010, adopted resolution AG/RES 2550 (XL-O/10) “Recognition of the International Year for People of African Descent”, which takes note of the International Year for People of African Descent. The department provided legal assistance for preparation of the draft resolution.

This resolution is the first devoted specifically to the Afro-descendant subject in the framework of the OAS. Among other actions, it reaffirms the importance of the full and equal participation of people of African descent in all aspects of political, economic, social, and cultural life in the countries of the Americas. It also instructs the Permanent Council to hold a special meeting to celebrate the International Year for People of African Descent.

Also in June 2010, the department made a presentation on the significance and prospects of the OAS resolution on Recognition of the International Year for People of African Descent at the forum on “Participation and Incidence of Afro-descendants in the Organization of American States,” which was held in Lima, Peru. About 40 people took part in the forum, and the department outlined a series of strategies to continue strengthening the presence of Afro-descendants in making policy decisions at the international level. See relevant links (only in Spanish):

http://www.oas.org/dil/esp/afrodescendientes_ejecutadas_XL_Asamblea_General_Peru_2010.htm

http://www.oas.org/dil/esp/afrodescendientes_reconocimiento_ano_internacional.htm

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