A/HRC/27/68
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
14 July 2014
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Twenty-seventh session
Agenda item 9
Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
forms of intolerance, follow-up and implementation of
the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of
African Descent on its fourteenth session*
(Geneva, 31 March–4 April 2014)
Chair-Rapporteur: Mireille Fanon Mendes-France
Summary
The main focus of the discussions during the fourteenth session of the Working
Group of Experts on People of African Descent was the theme of “People of African
descent: access to justice”. The Working Group acknowledged the importance of the theme
and noted that, despite guarantees in international and national law, racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance affect people of African descent in a
unique fashion, to the point that many of them are still unable to obtain remedies for
wrongful acts through their domestic institutions. The Working Group urged States to
develop a national atlas mapping injustices, on the basis of comprehensive disaggregated
data. It also urged States to adopt national action plans against racial discrimination, which
should include special measures and be based on disaggregated data, as appropriate, to
address structural discrimination against people of African descent, taking into account
general recommendation No. 32 (2009) of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination on the meaning and scope of special measures in the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Racial Discrimination. It also reiterated its
recommendation that practical activities should be developed at the national, regional and
international levels during the International Decade for People of African Descent.
* Annex II is reproduced as received, in the languages of submission only.
GE.14-08309 (E)
*1408309*