The 54th Session of the Human Rights Council
11 September - 13 October 2023
Item 9: Interactive Dialogue with Working Group on People of African Descent
5th October 2023
By Jamel Nampijja / GICJ
Ms. Barbara G. Reynolds, the Chair of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, presented three reports that shed light on the challenges faced by people of African descent on October 5th, 2023, during the Interactive Dialogue of the 38th of the 54th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council.
The first report, A/HRC/54/67, "Economic Empowerment of People of African Descent", highlighted the economic disparities people of African descent face worldwide. The report emphasised how historical factors such as enslavement, colonisation, segregation, and apartheid have left lasting scars, hindering their economic progress.
Ms. Reynolds stressed that systemic racism persists in various aspects of life, including banking, finance, insurance, taxation, and land rights.
However, the path to reparations is fraught with challenges, including denial of responsibility, scepticism about the ability of people of African descent to manage assets, and underestimation of their cause. Nevertheless, Ms. Reynolds called for a shift towards economic and reparative justice. Additionally, she called for global awareness and public education about the consequences of black indebtedness.
The second report, A/HRC/54/71, "Facilitating the Journey from Rhetoric to Reality", presented a comprehensive overview of the Working Group's two-decade journey since its establishment in 2000. It showcased the group's pivotal role in addressing racial discrimination globally. Notably, the group led the International Year for People of African Descent, raising awareness about their challenges and contributing to developing the International Decade for People of African Descent.
While stressing the importance of a collective effort in promoting and protecting the human rights of people of African descent, Ms. Reynolds called for continued support from member states to enable the group to fulfill its mandate effectively.
The third report, A/HRC/54/68, detailed the findings from the Working Group's official visits to Australia and the United Kingdom. In both countries, the group met with governments, national institutions, civil society, and individuals of African descent. While acknowledging these countries' positive steps, Ms. Reynolds raised concerns about pervasive racial discrimination, disparities, and exclusion experienced by people of African descent.
In the UK, the report highlighted the challenges faced by the Windrush generation and their descendants and recommended clear and straightforward language in reparations and restoration processes.
One of the most pressing concerns addressed in this report was police brutality against people of African descent and their overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. The report called for a comprehensive acknowledgement of mass incarceration and police impunity as mechanisms to confront systemic racism and as part of reparatory justice. She also called for addressing systemic racism in institutions, particularly education, housing, and employment.
Several representatives and NGOs called on the Human Rights Council to declare a second International Decade for People of African Descent, building upon the progress made during the first decade while addressing the ongoing challenges.
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) urges UN member states to implement concrete policies to combat systemic racism, address economic disparities, safeguard human rights, adopt a decolonising praxis in learning about historical inequalities and tell the stories of people of African descent in a way that is embedded in the collective conscience of people of African descent and draws on principles of reparatory justice.
Achieving equality and justice for all is not just a goal but an imperative for humanity.
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