On Monday 31st October 2022, Rwanda’s Envoy to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Ambassador Marie Chantal Rwakazina presented virtually a report of the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action held from 11 to 22 October, 2021, to the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee during its seventy- seventh session held at the UN Headquarters in New York. 

The Intergovernmental Working Group is one of the three mechanisms established to follow up on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance held in Durban, South Africa in 2001. The Working Group was established by the Commission on Human Rights resolution 2002/68 and approved by the Economic and Social Council in its decision 2002/270 of 25 July 2002.

The Working Group is composed of all United Nations Member States, Observer States, international organisations, non-governmental organisations with ECOSOC consultative status.  It is primarily mandated to make recommendations with a view to implementing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action objectives.

The mandate of Ambassador Marie Chantal Rwakazina as Chair-Rapporteur was renewed by the 20^th Session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme that took place from 10^th to 21^st October 2022 at the UN’s Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The session held discussions on the Situation of racial discrimination worldwide; the Implementation of the DDPA by Member States, UN and other stakeholders; and the Review of progress achieved concerning the implementation of the programme of activities for the International Decade for People of African Descent.

Pursuant to the General Assembly resolution A/RES/76/226, by which the Working Group was entrusted to devote at least half of our session to the elaboration of a draft United Nations Declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent, a draft Declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent was also discussed.

Prior to the session, Chair-Rapporteur Ambassador Rwakazina presented a Preparatory Document for the Draft UN Declaration on the promotion and full respect of the Human Rights of People of African Descent, which highlights challenges and the rights of people of African descent as mandated by the above UN Resolution mentioned above. 

The Assembly also invited the Permanent Forum of African Descent (PFPAD) and the Working Group of Experts on People of African descent (WGEPAD) to contribute to the elaboration of the draft Declaration, in accordance with their respective mandates.

The said draft was the result of a systematic review of existing international human rights law, norms and standards, resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, reports of the Secretary General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other relevant UN human rights mechanisms.

The 20^th session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of DDPA made considerable progress on both the preamble part and on some operative part of the draft declaration during the allocated time, pursuant to the UNGA A/RES/76/226. 

The 21^st Session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action will be held in October 2023.