Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

Remarks by Ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfi eld on the Adoption of a Resolution Establishing the Permanent Forum for People of African Descent

THANK T YOU, MR. Y

PRESIDENT. And thank you A to Chad and t Costa Rica C for facilitating f today’s t resolution. The United S States strongly supports the creation of the Permanent Forum for People of African Descent. We fully engaged in the modalities to shape its mandate. The Biden-Harris Administration has put dismantling systemic racism and achieving racial justice at the forefront of our agenda. Because ultimately, racism is a problem in every society, and that means every society needs to grapple with it. Recently, you have seen us do this grappling across multilateral fora. At the 46th regular session of the Human Rights Council, we led a joint statement on combating racism and racial discrimination, signed by over 155 countries. We welcomed cooperation with the investigative mechanisms established in the Human Rights Council Resolution 47/21. And Secretary of State Blinken announced that we will facilitate visits to

the United States by the Special Rapporteurs

on Racism and on Minorities.

Mr. President, today, the United Nations has reached another important milestone on this collective journey: the establishment of a Permanent Forum for People of African Descent. This forum represents the full acknowledgement that, at long last, we are compelled to give voice to the dynamic challenges and aspirations of People of African Descent around the world. This forum is universal in its purview; and it is forward-looking in its agenda. It creates a new and necessary space, for all People of African Descent, to come together and build a better future.

There are a few details I want to be clear about.

First, we want to emphasize that our strong support for this resolution does not change the United States position on Durban. The creation of this forum is one step – among many – the UN System and Member States are taking to combat all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance. So, the Permanent Forum is far bigger than any one issue, program, or conference. And so, it is inappropriate for the establishment of this forum to be housed under an individual conference agenda item. So, while this is being adopted under its current agenda item, our position on the Durban Declaration and Program of Action remains the same.

Second, we want to stress that the mandate of the Forum does not include the elaboration of a UN declaration. The purview of developing UN declarations remains with Member States. The Forum’s consideration of a UN declaration on People of African Descent would only be a part of the broader consideration by Member States.

Finally, Mr. President, racism and intolerance are sadly universal; our approach to eliminating them must be too. So, we will continue to defend all groups who face discrimination – including indigenous people, women and girls, LGBTQI+ persons, people with disabilities, and so many more. And we will elevate their perspectives, their rights, and their fi ghts whenever and wherever we get a chance.

Thank you, Mr. President.

ON 2 AUGUST 2021, the General Assembly adopted it resolution 75/314 which formally operationalized the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, as "a consultative mechanism for people of African descent and other relevant stakeholders as a platform for improving the safety and quality of life and livelihoods of people of African descent, as well as an advisory body to the Human Rights Council, in line with the programme of activities for the implementation of

the International Decade for People of African Descent and in close coordination with existing mechanisms".

The modalities, format and substantive and procedural aspects of the Permanent Forum are described in the General Assembly resolution 75/314. Specifi cally, the Permanent

Forum has the following mandate: • To contribute to the full political, economic and social inclusion of people of African descent in the societies in which they live as equal citizens without discrimination of any kind and contribute to ensuring equal enjoyment of all human rights; • To provide, in coordination with existing mechanisms, expert advice and recommendations to the Human Rights

Council, the Main Committees of the General

Assembly and organs, programmes, funds and agencies of the United Nations aimed at addressing challenges of all the scourges of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and all their contemporary forms and manifestations confronted by people of African descent and that impede the full and eff ective realization and enjoyment of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms; • To consider the elaboration of a United Nations declaration on the promotion, protection and full respect of the human rights of people of

African descent; • To identify and analyse best practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives to address, as appropriate, the issues highlighted in the provisions of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action relevant to people of

African descent; • To monitor and review progress on the eff ective implementation of the programme of activities of the International Decade for People of African Descent, and to this end gather relevant information from Governments, United

Nations bodies and organs, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and other relevant sources; • To request the preparation and dissemination

of information by the United Nations system on issues relating to people of African descent and promote a greater knowledge of and respect for the diverse heritage, culture and contribution of people of African descent to the development of societies; • To raise awareness and promote integration and coordination of activities of agencies, funds and programmes relating to people of

African descent within the United Nations system; • To support the coordination of programmes aimed at the socioeconomic development of communities and people of African descent, and to examine the urgent global need to establish adequate channels to obtain data disaggregated by income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographical location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts, to enable the systematic design and collection of and access to high-quality, reliable and timely disaggregated data and gender statistics, conducive to the better execution of public policies in relation to people of African descent; • To off er advice and recommendations on matters concerning the protection, promotion and respect of all human rights of people of

African descent, and to undertake any specifi c task as requested by the Human Rights

Council or the General Assembly.

The Offi ce of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had been working to create a permanent Forum on People of African Descent since November 2014, when it was mandated to do so through the UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/69/16 entitled “Programme of activities for the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent”. www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Racism/ InternationalDecade/Pages/

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