About International Day for People of African Descent
In December 2020, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by acclamation a resolution presented by Costa Rica and co-sponsored by 52 countries, to proclaim August 31th as the International Day for People of African Descent.
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. The Presidential Commissioner for Afro-descendant Affairs, Enrique Joseph, asserted that the celebration of the International Day of Afro-descendants "will contribute to honoring and preserving historical memory, promoting greater knowledge and respect for human diversity".
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.
Why August 31st?
The date chosen for the observance marks the historic adoption of the Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World in 1920.
In August 1920 the First International Convention of the Black Peoples of the World was held in New York and as a result of the discussions, led by Marcus Garvey with thousands of delegates from different countries, the «Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World” was adopted.
This declaration “was one of the most notable of the 20th century by making explicit the rights to racial justice, equality before the law, the right to self-determination, freedom of the press, freedom of religious worship, the right to unlimited education, as well as the right to peace, long before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, said Costa Rica's Vice President Campbell, when announcing the proposed day.
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