United Nations Decade for People of African Descent

O.    Draft resolutions A/C.3/64/L.44 and Rev.1
91. At the 40th meeting, on 10 November, the representative of Colombia, on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Panama, Peru and Uruguay, introduced a draft resolution entitled “United Nations Decade for People of African Descent” (A/C.3/64/L.44). Subsequently, Belarus, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Honduras and Senegal joined in sponsoring the draft resolution, which read:
“The General Assembly,
“Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set out therein, without distinction of any kind, in particular as to race, colour or national origin,
“Recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and other relevant international human rights instruments,
“Recalling, in particular, article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides that all persons are equal before the law
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and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law and that, in this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,
“Recalling also, in particular, article 2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which provides that States parties undertake to guarantee that the rights enunciated in that Covenant will be exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,
“Reaffirming that one of the fundamental purposes of the United Nations is to achieve international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction,
“Recalling the relevant provisions of the outcomes of all major United Nations conferences and summits,
“Recalling also its resolutions 62/122 of 17 December 2007 and 63/5 of 20 October 2008 on the permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade,
“Reaffirming the commitment to prevent, combat and eradicate racism and racial discrimination,
“Reaffirming also the universality, indivisibility, interrelatedness, interdependence and mutually reinforcing nature of all civil, political, cultural, economic and social rights,
“Reiterating the recognition of the value and diversity of the cultural heritage of people of African descent, and reaffirming the importance and necessity of ensuring their full integration into social, economic and political life, in countries where they represent minorities, with a view to facilitating their full participation at all levels in the decision-making process,
“Taking note of the valuable contributions made by the various initiatives undertaken at the national, regional and international levels to benefit people of African descent and to realize their human rights and fundamental freedoms,
“Expressing concern that, despite the efforts, forms of racism and discrimination, and the effects of marginalization and social exclusion against people of African descent, have not been eradicated in some parts of the world,
“Recognizing that further national and international actions are required to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights, economic, social, cultural, civil and political, without discrimination, by people of African descent, including men, women and children, as well as the continuous improvement of living conditions,
“1. Proclaims the ten-year period beginning on 1 January 2010 the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent;
“2.    Decides that the goals of the Decade should include, inter alia:
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“(a) To strengthen international cooperation and national actions for the benefit of people of African descent in such areas as human rights, gender equality, the environment, development, education, health, employment, housing, and access to information and communication technologies, among others;
“(b) To support the implementation of actions to enhance the participation and integration of people of African descent in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and in the advancement and economic development of their countries, while respecting their cultural and ethnic identities;
“(c) To promote a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture;
“(d) To recognize, reaffirm and promote better knowledge of the significant cultural, economic, political and scientific contribution of people of African descent in the development and history of societies;
“3. Urges Member States to adopt and/or strengthen measures, including on legislative, policy, institutional and operational matters, in order to effectively pursue the goals defined in the present resolution and all other relevant internationally agreed objectives that have a positive impact for the welfare and the realization of human rights of people of African descent;
“4.    Encourages the specialized agencies of the United Nations system to enhance and/or adopt, as appropriate, within their respective mandates, existing resources and strategic frameworks, targets and specific activities in support of the achievement of the goals of the Decade;
“5. Invites non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and other relevant actors of civil society to consider and implement activities that can contribute to the success of the Decade;
“6. Encourages Member States, requests specialized entities of the United Nations system, and invites other relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to participate during 2010 in the consultation process for the formulation of more effective actions, including the draft comprehensive programme of action provided for in the present resolution;
“7. Requests the Secretary-General, with the collaboration of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and taking into account the contributions of Member States, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, specialized entities of the United Nations system, the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, and relevant intergovernmental    and    non-governmental    organizations,    including organizations of people of African descent, to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session a report containing recommendations on how to make the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent (2010-2019) more effective, including a draft comprehensive programme of action for the Decade with action-oriented programmes, and proposals for cooperation and technical assistance, to be undertaken at the international, regional, national and community levels.”
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92.    At its 47th meeting, on 24 November, the Committee had before it a revised draft resolution entitled “International Year for People of African Descent” (A/C.3/64/L.44/Rev.1), submitted by the sponsors of draft resolution A/C.3/64/L.44 and Costa Rica, Ecuador and India. Subsequently, Belize and the United States of America joined in sponsoring the revised draft resolution.
93. At the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.3/64/L.44/Rev.1 without a vote (see para. 110, draft resolution XV).