Thread by @AmbMKimani

As a member of the @UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, it has been a privilege to participate in the second session this week in New York. Here is a🧵of key points I heard made (note: this is NOT the forum’s official report)
#PFPAD #UN #HumanRights #AfricanDescent

1/ An insistence on robust civil society participation and a call for the removal of structural and bureaucratic barriers to those attending annual sessions, including accommodations for language, disability, and event capacity

2/ assertions that while many UN mandates are well-funded, organizations supporting people of African descent often lack adequate support. The costs or access issues should not be onto individual participants

3/ highlighting the UN’s commitment to racial equity. This includes creating an environment where people of African descent are heard and acknowledges burdensome bureaucratic processes and barriers as deterrents to fairness and justice

4/ a powerful emphasis on the importance of reparatory justice for the legacies of colonialism, enslavement, and apartheid. And a recognition that genuine apologies must be accompanied by effective remedies and reparations

5/ embracing the continued relevance of Pan-Africanism as a global liberation movement. Plus an urging that it be inclusive and focus on human equality, the rule of law, environmental justice, and global economic sustainability

6/ there was recognition of the profound structural inequities in global migration. In particular noting that Africans and people of African descent are particularly vulnerable. The international community has a responsibility to ensure safe, equitable migration for these groups

7/ that the UN organizations with mandates relevant to migration ensure that they include data on racial disparities affecting Africans and people of African descent who are migrants or refugees

8/ there were warnings by some participants of the potential risks of digital technologies and AI reproducing inequalities and injustices. Therefore the data used to develop AI tools should be inclusive of Africans and people of African descent and open to bias checks

9/ we heard how racism is a driver of ill-health among people of African descent. It was noted that health is a right and one of the #SDGs, and that policymakers need to acknowledge the many health stressors faced by these communities and their limited access to healthcare

10/ that as the #SDGs Summit is held in September, during #UNGA, that racial disparities, especially affecting Africans and people of African descent be captured in monitoring future implementation at the national and global levels

That racism is a threat to domestic and international peace and security. Wherever it has reared its head, violence and war has been the result. Its systemic dismantling is key to implementing the UN’s key mandate to bring peace to the world

There will soon be an official report from the PFPAD that will have much more, and more action-ready recommendations

I am leaving out the most frequently raised!

1) anticipation of a 2024 UN Declaration for the human rights of people of African descent

2) calls for the General Assembly to agree a second international decade of people of African descent