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Close-up portrait of three women of African descent
Christiana, Angélica, and Delza at a UNICEF-assisted organization in Brazil, which empowers black youth to confront racism and advocates for equal education and work opportunities.
Photo:UNICEF/Alejandro Balaguer

I urge States to take concrete steps, with the full participation of people of African descent and their communities, to tackle old and new forms of racial discrimination; and to dismantle entrenched structural and institutional racism."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Honouring the contributions of the African diaspora

As we mark the International Day for People of African Descent this year, we also mark the final year of the International Decade for People of African Descent, an initiative launched by the United Nations General Assembly to recognize people in the Americas, who are of African descent as a distinct group whose human rights must be safeguarded. Through this Observance the United Nations aims to promote the extraordinary contributions of the African diaspora around the world and to eliminate all forms of discrimination against people of African descent.

International days reflect the values that society shares. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-being of their societies. Any doctrine of racial superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust, and dangerous and must be rejected, together with theories that attempt to determine the existence of separate human races.

The United Nations strongly condemns the continuing violent practices and excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent and condemns structural racism in criminal justice systems around the world. The Organization further acknowledges the Transatlantic Slave Trade as one of the darkest chapters in our human history and upholds human dignity and equality for the victims of slavery, the slave trade and colonialism, in particular people of African descent in the African diaspora.

International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024)

The International Decade aims to celebrate the important contributions of people of African descent worldwide, advance social justice and inclusion policies, eradicate racism and intolerance, promote human rights, and assist in creating better, more prosperous communities, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals spearheaded by the United Nations.

Progress and challenges

The year 2024 marks the end of the International Decade for People of African Descent. While some progress has been made at legislative, policy and institutional levels, people of African descent continue to suffer intersectional and compounded forms of racial discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion. In 2020, five years into the Decade, the COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the urgency to address long standing structural inequalities and systematic racism in health. The lack of recognition remains one of the major barriers impeding the full and effective enjoyment of human rights by people of African descent.

The year 2020 also marked a turning point in the way these issues were being addressed at international and national levels. The murder of George Floyd galvanized people to protest racism and racial discrimination and prompted important global discussions on racial justice. On 19 June 2020, the Human Rights Council adopted the on the “Promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers”. Pursuant to this resolution, the High Commissioner for Human Rights presented to the Human Rights Council at its 47th session an .

Societies around the world are increasingly recognizing the role structural racism plays in driving social, economic and political inequalities; several countries have made racial profiling and discrimination illegal and have introduced policies to promote the rights and choices for people of African descent.

Governments have accelerated their efforts to make Afrodescendants more statistically visible in order to address historical injustices and to bridge gaps in access to health care, social services and opportunities. 

Further action, political will and investments are needed to end inequalities and ensure the full empowerment of people of African descent.

The Underground Railroad: A Secret Path to Freedom over Niagara Falls | Global Lens

This episode of Global Lens examines the pivotal role of the Underground Railroad in establishing African American resistance, and celebrates the courage of those who risked their lives to help others escape, including the legendary Harriet Tubman.

Our lead character is educator, author and human rights advocate Saladin Allah, a descendent of Underground Railroad forerunner Josiah Henson, whose life was the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. As a visitor experience specialist at the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, Saladin is an expert storyteller who takes us on an unforgettable journey through African American history, and reminds us that we all play a role in shaping the next generation. Only through education and historical truth-telling can we achieve a recognition of past wrongdoing, and work toward a more just world.

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Each year, the world commemorates the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws" in 1960. The theme for the 2021 commemoration is "Youth standing up against racism".

A group of South Africans behind fence separating them from white community.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set out therein, without distinction of any kind, in particular as to race, colour or national origin. The UN has worked for human rights and for the eradication of racism and racial discrimination since its creation in 1945.

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.