Activities undertaken

Ninth session of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

The Department of International Law (DIL) was invited to take part in the Ninth Session of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, which was held in Geneva from April 12 to 16, 2010.

The Group of Experts was created by the Commission on Human Rights in 2002 and its mandate extended in 2008 by the Human Rights Council. This working group’s mandate is to study the problems of racial discrimination faced by people of African descent and related matters.

At the 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), which the UN General Assembly adopted by resolution A/RES/64/169 .

In this regard, the Department of International Law made a presentation to the Group of Experts on proposals to be considered as part of the activities for the International Year for People of African Descent (2011). On that occasion, mention was also made of the activities in which the Department has been engaged on the Afro-descendant question along with other initiatives being implemented by the OAS and other organs of the inter-American system with regard to people of African descent and racial discrimination.