Martin Kimani, chairperson of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, presented its annual report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva during an interactive dialogue with country representatives.
“Every year, events captured in news headlines and in the lived experiences of people of African descent tragically confirm that even at this stage of the 21st century, the colour line remains in place, creating a hierarchical divide that sustains segregation, violence, societal division, denial of equal opportunity, of equity, and of continued exploitation and multiple forms of oppression,” he said.
“Human rights movements, including anti-racist movements, need to unite more than ever and act, to ensure that the promise of multiple resolutions of the United Nations, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, is realised.”
A Decade for progress
This past January marked the start of the second International Decade for People of African Descent and the Permanent Forum views this “as a period enabling the reinforcement of global solidarity that advances concrete progress”.
Alongside other stakeholders, it has called for advancing action around three pillars: recognition, justice and development.
Measures include greater recognition of systemic and structural racism, as well as racial discrimination; the pursuit of reparatory justice and more efforts towards including people of African descent and racial equality in all development frameworks.
Human rights and justice in the digital age
Additionally, human rights concerns that may not have been addressed during the first International Decade must also be confronted.
They include environmental and climate justice; the fair application of artificial intelligence and digital justice, and the human rights of those facing discrimination.
Mr. Kimani said the Permanent Forum has been engaging closely on these issues. For example, digital justice was on the agenda of its annual session held last April in New York.
“The Forum emphasised that the pursuit of reparatory justice remains urgent in this digital age, as systemic inequities within and among countries risk being replicated and amplified in emerging technologies,” he said.
Moreover, its conclusions reflected deep concern over the perpetuation of racial biases within artificial intelligence (AI) systems while also acknowledging how AI can contribute to society.
“AI and digital technologies cannot be disconnected from the broader historical and contemporary injustices that shape them,” he said.
Concern for women and girls
The annual session also examined the specific situation of women and girls of African descent and how they are affected by intersecting forms of discrimination.
“The dehumanization of African women from the onset of enslavement set the tone for the continued devaluation and discrimination they face to this day,” he said.
“The goals of development cannot be achieved without reparatory measures that explicitly address their realities.”
The past year also saw continued deliberation on the issue of reparatory justice – “a critical and urgent priority in order to comprehensively recognise and address systemic and structural disadvantages.”
It encompasses five areas that include restitution, for example of legal rights or property; compensation, including for physical or mental harm; and satisfaction, which covers actions such as verification of facts and full public disclosure of the truth, acknowledgement, and public apology.
In Haiti, people carrying their belongings flee their homes as night falls due to violence.
Spotlight on Haiti
Mr. Kimani noted that the rights body has consistently stressed that “the current crisis in Haiti is not an isolated event but is deeply rooted in the legacies of colonization and enslavement.”
Haiti was the first country to free itself from slavery through a successful revolution, gaining formal independence from France in 1804. However, it was forced to pay 150 million francs in compensation for property lost during the uprising.
The Permanent Forum has published a position paper laying out concrete recommendations, which include “a reparatory justice perspective” and acknowledgement of the so-called “independence debt”.
He urged the Human Rights Council to “consider the crisis in Haiti in that light”.
