The United Nations (UN)’s International Day for People of African Descent is annually observed across the globe on 31st August to celebrate the remarkable contributions of the African diaspora worldwide and eliminate all forms of discrimination against people of African descent.
- The day also aims to promote, protect, and respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent, including their right to health.
31st August 2024 marks the 4th observance of International Day for People of African Descent.
Significance:
i.International Day for People of African Descent 2024 coincides with the final year of the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).
ii.This initiative highlights the need to safeguard the human rights of people in the Americas of African descent and acknowledge their distinct identity.
People of African Descent:
i.The largest concentration of of African descent, around 150 million, is found in Latin America and the Caribbean.
ii.Many are descendants of Africans displaced during the transatlantic slave trade, while others are recent migrants to the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
iii.Around 200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent live in the Americas.
Background:
i.On 16th December 2020, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/75/170 proclaiming, 31 August of every year as the International Day for People of African Descent.
ii.The first-ever International Day for People of African Descent was observed on 31 August 2021.
iii.The efforts to create the International Day for People of African Descent were under the initiatives of Costa Rica, a Central American country.
- Costa Rica changed its political constitution in 2015, defining itself as a multiethnic and multicultural nation.
Why 31 August?
i.31st August marks the closing date of the 1st International Convention of the Negro Peoples of the World, a month-long convention of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1920.
ii.The Convention was opened on 1 August 1920, in Liberty Hall, New York, the United States of America (USA), and adopted the Declaration of Rights of the Negro People of the World.
- It was one of the world’s earliest and most comprehensive human rights documents.
International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024):
i.On 23 December 2013, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/68/237, proclaiming the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).
ii.It was proclaimed with the theme “People of African Descent: recognition, justice, and development.”
- 2024 marks the conclusion of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).
iii.The decade started in 2015 aims to advance social justice and inclusion policies, among other things, to create better, more prosperous communities, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Note: On 19 June 2020, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution (A/HRC/RES/43/1) on promoting and protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and people of African descent.
Permanent Forum on People of African Descent:
i.On 2 August 2021, the UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/75/314, formally operationalising the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.
ii.The forum aims to improve the safety, quality of life, and livelihoods of people of African descent.
iii.The forum acts as a consultative mechanism for people of African descent and relevant stakeholders and also serves as an advisory body to the UN HRC.
