Aid agencies sound the alarm as Israel's Gaza blockade enters a second month    Asian markets plunge as Trump's global tariff turmoil deepens    Trump's crackdown on university protests is casting a long shadow    Le Pen vows to fight conviction but large-scale protests fail to materialize    Al-Jasser: work is underway to restructure and develop aviation infrastructure    KAU to host Digital Communication Conference in Jeddah from April 29 to May 1    TGA: Riyadh tops with 45% of 290 million orders delivered in 2024    Diriyah to host third IMFC Deputies meeting under Saudi chairmanship    15,135 decisions taken to penalize Saudis and expats for violations    Saudi-European Parliamentary Friendship Committee discusses cooperation during Strasbourg visit    Saudi stock market loses half a trillion riyals, with Aramco's losses amounting to SR340 billion Tariff turmoil rattles Gulf markets    Benzema rescues Al Ittihad with stoppage-time equalizer in thrilling Jeddah Derby    Al Qadsiah and Al Ettifaq share spoils in tense Eastern Derby stalemate    Moussa Diaby praises Al Ittihad's resilience after Jeddah Derby draw "When you can't win, you take a point"    Saudi assistant referee Iman Al Madani joins AFC elite list for 2025    Riyadh Art Week launches with over 50 galleries showcasing global artistic dialogue    Turki Al-Sheikh announces five new Saudi film projects to be produced in Riyadh    Saudi Ministry of Education to showcase innovations at 2025 Geneva International Exhibition    Ed Sheeran weaves Persian music into new song, Azizam    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



UN marks first International Day for People of African Descent
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 09 - 2021

The UN on Tuesday celebrated the enormous contributions the African diaspora has made in every field of human endeavor, marking the first-ever International Day for People of African Descent.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a greater commitment to advance the promise of equality, justice and dignity for all, in his inaugural message.
Long overdue
"It is a long overdue recognition of the profound injustices and systemic discrimination that people of African descent have endured for centuries, and continue to confront today," the secretary-general said.
"And it is an urgent call to action for everyone, everywhere, to commit to rooting out the evil of racism."
More than 200 million people in the Americas alone identify as being of African descent. Millions more are located worldwide outside the African continent.
Whether as descendants of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, or as more recent migrants, they are among some of the poorest and most marginalized groups, the UN said.
Last December, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing the International Day.
The objective was "to promote greater recognition and respect for the diverse heritage, culture and contribution of people of African descent to the development of societies, and to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent".
Now is the moment
The resolution also recalled two related UN initiatives: the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, and the declaration of the International Decade for People of African Descent, which runs through 2024.
"Twenty years after the Durban Declaration and Program of Action, and more than halfway into the International Decade for People of African Descent, we are experiencing unprecedented momentum towards ending the global scourge of racism," said the secretary-general. "We must not squander this opportunity."
Costa Rica spearheaded efforts to create the International Day. The Central American country changed its political constitution in 2015, defining itself as a multiethnic and multicultural nation.
Jan André Solano is a university student and activist from Limón, a city on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, who admires the late civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
He recently participated in a UN initiative that collects the stories of various people of African descent in his homeland, who also share their accomplishments, challenges, hopes and life lessons.
Still dreaming of change
Despite his achievements, Jan said he does not understand why some people cross the street when they see him, or why he is subjected to other indignities, including being closely watched in supermarkets or being singled out for police searches while in public.
Latin America is home to nearly 134 million people of African heritage and a recent report by the UN economic commission for the region, ECLAC, reveals how they suffer poverty, lack of access to basic services and inequality.
For example, in Brazil, the overall poverty rate is 11.5 percent, but among people of African descent, it is 25.5 percent. The story is repeated in other countries such as Ecuador and Colombia.
Like Dr. King, Jan said he also has a dream: "That exclusion, inequality, racism and discrimination be banished forever from the world, and that I may have the same opportunities to develop, lead a prosperous life and thus dedicate myself to serving, and helping, all other people regardless of the color of their skin."
Acknowledge legacy, redress wrongs
The secretary-general pointed to the UN's work to dismantle racism.
The Slave Route Project, run by the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), encourages open and honest conversation around the horror and greed of slavery.
Another initiative by the UN Population Fund, UNFPA, focuses on expanding opportunities for young people of African descent, while the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has launched the Agenda Towards Transformative Change for Racial Justice and Equality in efforts to tackle systemic racism, ensure accountability, and deliver reparatory justice.
Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly established the UN Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, a 10-member advisory body that will work closely with the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"Acknowledging the entrenched legacy of enslavement, redressing the wrongs of history, and shattering the evil lie of supremacy, demands persistence and action every day, at every level, in every society," the UN chief said.
"Together, let us commit to do our part and advance the promise of equality, justice and dignity for all." — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.