A/HRC/37/77 V. Review of the progress achieved concerning the programme of activities for the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent 24. The Chair of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent opened the session by stating that bias against people of African descent continued to this day and that racism was still very prevalent. He noted his deep concern for the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination from which people of African descent suffered, based on their race, ethnicity, gender, class, language, culture, religion, minority and migration status and other related grounds. He further raised concern about the lack of accountability for acts of violence and other human rights violations against people of African descent. He stressed that structural racism and discrimination were widespread in the administration of justice and that people of African descent were particularly vulnerable to racial profiling as well as generally overrepresented in the criminal justice system. 25. Ms. Santos Roland noted that in the Latin American and Caribbean region important advances had been made in the implementation of policies that sought to combat racism and promote equality. Several States in the region had also adopted national action plans and other legislative measures to combat racism and racial discrimination. Monitoring bodies had been put in place to check progress on the achievement of equality, and education and awareness-raising were being employed to sensitize the population to the harm done by racial discrimination. 26. She reiterated the importance of data collection and emphasized that without information and data it was not possible to give adequate recognition to people of African descent or to address the discrimination they faced. 27. The representative of Brazil noted that the date for the next national conference on racial discrimination in Brazil had been set and that its theme would echo the International Decade for People of African Descent by focusing on recognition, justice, development, equality and human rights. She noted that Brazil had instituted normative and institutional changes to foster the participation of Afro-Brazilians in public, economic and political life. 28. The representative of South Africa voiced an urgent call for action. It stated that the plight of people of African descent was deteriorating and that all States should therefore remain committed to the International Decade and to the overarching aim of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind. 29. The representative of Cuba noted that Cuba was implementing many activities to foster the greater participation of people of African descent and to give greater visibility to projects aimed at recovering their history. It had hosted media events and cinema screenings to promote the heritage of people of African descent and to overcome prejudice against and stereotyping of them. 30. The representative of the European Union noted the remarkable recognition of the reality of people of African descent, specifically the denial of their basic human rights. She called for the full and effective implementation of international mechanisms such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. She noted that the Durban Programme of Action emphasized the need to strengthen national action. 31. During the discussion on the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent through multi-stakeholder cooperation, Mr. Ugochukwu noted that a number of studies involving multiple stakeholders had been conducted on the state of antiblack racism in Switzerland. One of the studies had mapped the traces of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism in Switzerland. 32. Ms. Kaneza firstly noted that Germany did not have a far-reaching or rich history when it came to people of African descent. They therefore remained a largely invisible minority in the country. Similar to the experience of people of African descent in other countries, in Germany they were also disproportionately victims of racism and racial discrimination, police profiling and police brutality. Women of African descent were even 5