A/HRC/19/21 31. In November, in Serbia, OHCHR organized the first in a series of workshops on follow-up to the recommendations made by United Nations human rights mechanisms with the aim of contributing to the efficient engagement of national stakeholders with these mechanisms. B. 1. Countering discrimination, in particular racial discrimination, discrimination on the grounds of sex, religion and against others who are marginalized Racial discrimination 32. As part of the fight against all forms of discrimination, OHCHR continued to engage in activities aimed at the eradication of discriminatory legislation and practices, including with regard to indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants, and conducted initiatives to counter discrimination on various grounds, notably ethnicity. 33. In 2011, OHCHR organized four expert workshops on the prohibition of incitement to national, racial or religious hatred, which generated a wealth of information on various approaches taken to address this problem through legislation, jurisprudence and different types of national policies. 34. OHCHR marked the International Year for People of African Descent with the theme of “Recognition, justice and development”, which was launched by the SecretaryGeneral on 10 December 2010. Activities included thematic panel discussions in the Human Rights Council and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and dedicated cultural events and exhibitions. A panel focusing on women of African descent was also organized in New York. 35. OHCHR also prepared an electronic “toolkit” to assist field presences working on issues relating to Afro-descendants. A new fellowship programme for Afro-descendants was launched for participants from Europe, the Americas and the Middle East, enabling 10 fellows to deepen their understanding of the United Nations human rights system. On 6 December 2011, members of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent and civil society participated in a ceremony, during which the Secretary-General closed the International Year for People of African Descent. 36. My Office continues to provide the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and follow-up mechanisms to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action with technical and substantive support. These mechanisms address key issues including intolerance, the role of education and sport in combating racism and racial discrimination, freedom of religion and belief, freedom of expression and opinion, and xenophobia. Pursuant to requests from the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, OHCHR also organized high-level panel discussions on good practices against racism, the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace, and the promotion and protection of human rights through tolerance and reconciliation. 37. For the past two years, my Office has assisted Member States in developing national plans of action against racism. In 2011, we provided support to Benin, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Botswana, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, the Niger, Nigeria and Uruguay. In addition, my Office organized a seminar in September on racial discrimination in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, for 10 countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). 38. On 22 September 2011, the General Assembly held a high-level meeting to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and 7