International Decade for People of African Descent
Peoples’ and Civil Society letter to the United Nations Member States calling for the UN General Assembly to declare 2012-2022 as the International Decade for People of African Descent.
The undersigned peoples and civil society organisations, including those representing People of African Descent, wish to express their appreciation to the UN member states who introduced and cooperated in the process of adopting the decision to commemorate 2011 as the International Year for People of African Descent.
We recognize that the International Year for People of African Descent with the widely accepted theme of “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice and Development” has brought important international attention to the plight of People of African Descent suffering from centuries of racism and denial of human rights. Yet its purpose can not and has not been accomplished in one year.
We now call on the United Nations General Assembly to declare 2012 to 2022 as the International Decade for People of African Descent with the theme “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice, Development”.
As the call for the UN to declare an International Year for People of African Descent originated from the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent set up to promote the rights for People of African Descent contained in the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) we find it mandatory that the General Assembly place the adoption of the International Decade within the agenda item and framework of the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
We insist on the General Assembly at this session to officially adopt “People of African Descent: recognition, Justice, Development” as the theme of the Decade. The theme, originating from non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and proposed by the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent became widely accepted during the International Year and officially adopted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as its theme for its activities during the International Year.
We furthermore call for the International Decade to be developed with the full involvement of People of African Descent and supported by Civil Society and that a fully funded Programme of Activities should be adopted next year by the General Assembly taking account of proposals from the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, People of African Descent and Civil Society organisations.
Sincerely,
Organizations
Africa Action
African American Police League
African Canadian Legal Clinic
African European Women’s Movement “Sophiedela” (Europe/NL)
African European Women’s Movement “Sophiedela” Youth segment (Europe/NL)
Africans on the Move
African People of Love
African Union African Diaspora 6th Region Europe
African World Studies Institute (The Netherlands)
Africana Studies Program, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
All African People Revolutionary Party
Amos N Wilson Institute
Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)
Black People Against Police Torture
Boon Ja Ba
Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign
Committee in Remembrance of Swedish Transatlantic Slave Trade
DDPA Watch Group
December 12th Movement
The Drammeh Institute
Fahamu - Networks for Social Justice. Senegal, South Africa, Kenya and UK
Federation of African Diaspora Organisations “UN BONDRU” (republic Suriname)
Fellowship of Reconciliation USA
Foreign Policy in Focus
Freedom Road Socialist Organization (OSCL)
Global Afrikan Congress
The Human Rights Project at the Urban Justice Center
Independent Jewish Voices
International Association Against Torture
International Human Rights Association of American Minorities
International Indian Treaty Council (IITC)
International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN)
Jericho Movement - Chicago
Latin American and Caribbean Community Center (LACCC)
Malcolm X Grassroots Movements (MXGM)
Marcus Garvey Institute
Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute
Mouvement International pour les Réparations
National Council of Black Studies, USA
National Lawyers Guild International Committee
National Platform Dutch Slavery Past (LPS), a Federation of 19 organisations with divisions in The Netherlands, Curacao & republic Suriname
N’COBRA Chicago
North-South XXI
Organization for Black Struggle
Pambazuka News. Senegal, South Africa, Kenya and UK
Priority Africa Network
Prisoners of Conscious Committee
Rising in Solidarity with Ayiti
Swedish Committee for the International Year for People of African Descent
Task Force for Black Political Empowerment
Tiye International, Federation of 22 Black, Migrant & Refugee women & Youth organisations
TransAfrica Forum, Washington, D.C, USA
Pan African & Strategic working Group (Europe/NL)
Pan African Diaspora Union (Europe)
The Praxis Project
US Human Rights Network (USHRN)
UTATU Collective
VOTE
WE Umoja People
World Against Racism Network (WARN)
Individuals (Organizations and Professions for Identification Only)
Prof. Samba Buri MBOUP, University of South Africa
Colia L Clark, Chair, (HUERA) Humanism Unity Equity Rights and the Arts, Coordinator, International Commission of Inquiry on Haiti USA
James Counts Early, Director Cultural Heritage Policy Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution
Bill Fletcher, Jr., BlackCommentator.com
Glen Ford, Executive Editor, BlackAgendaReport.com
Zakiyyah Samimah Muhammad
Vernellia R. Randall, Professor of Law, The University of Dayton School of Law
