United Nations General Assembly A/HRC/18/AC.3/2 Distr.: General 21 January 2011 Original: English Human Rights Council Eighteenth session Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent Tenth session Geneva, 28 March – 1 April 2011 Item 8 of the provisional agenda Thematic discussion on the situation of peoples of African descent Note by the Secretariat* 1. The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 8 September 2001, adopted the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action containing recommendations intended to strengthen the international human rights framework to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 2. The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent was established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2002/68. The Commission, in its resolution 2003/30, reformulated paragraph 8 (d) of resolution 2002/68 and expanded the mandate of the Working Group. In its resolution 9/14, the Human Rights Council decided to extend the mandate of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent for a further three years. The mandate is as follows: (a) To study the problems of racial discrimination faced by people of African descent living in the diaspora and, to that end, gather all relevant information from Governments, non-governmental organizations and other relevant sources, including through the holding of public meetings with them; (b) To propose measures to ensure full and effective access to the justice system by people of African descent; (c) To submit recommendations on the design, implementation and enforcement of effective measures to eliminate racial profiling of people of African descent; (d) To make proposals on the elimination of racial discrimination against Africans and people of African descent in all parts of the world; (e) To address all the issues concerning the well-being of Africans and people of African descent contained in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; * GE.11-10373 Late submission.