A/HRC/31/75 inquired how OHCHR was planning to implement recommendation 78(d) of the most recent report of the Secretary-General on that topic (A/70/339). 32. Mr. Boychenko remarked that OHCHR was undertaking relevant research. Three studies were in the pipeline. One on people of African descent and the right to development would be finalized before the end of 2015. Another study on racial and ethnic profiling had been initiated and a third study devoted to data collection would be finalized in 2016. 33. The representative of Mexico underlined how important it was to secure the rights of people of African descent. As member of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico had adopted a programme of action to address the vulnerable situation of people of African descent in the region. It was essential to make African descendants as visible as possible. Mexico had faced a number of difficulties, as the group was small. In March 2015 the Government announced its national action plan for the implementation of the Decade. The main purpose of the plan was to consolidate a variety of actions and it was based on the theme of the Decade: recognition, justice and development. 34. The Chair noted that the greatest enemy of people of African descent is the lack of visibility. He consequently inquired about the United Nations media strategy for the decade. In response, Mr. Boychenko noted that the Department of Public information had received funds for a campaign. The Office and the Department had prepared a manual on the decade. Further material would be published by the Department. In addition, a number of informative one-pagers had been produced. One additional one-pager on racial profiling was being drafted. The Decade had become a cross-cutting topic for many activities. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had also sent instructions to the field offices about the importance of the Decade and had requested contributions from colleagues in the field. Mr. Boychenko pointed out that the media did not always step forward to cover the Decade. The Working Group’s visit to Sweden had, for example, been well covered by Swedish media. 35. Answering a question about the budget dedicated to the decade Mr. Boychenko noted that originally the establishment of three posts had been planned. The recruitment for those posts however, coincided with the financial difficulties the Office had encountered and, in order to save staff positions, the three posts had been filled by staff members, who would otherwise have lost their jobs. 36. The representative of the European Union noted that one needed to agree on the modalities for the forum, and Mr. Boychenko agreed, stating that the Office had received a number of submissions regarding that question and had posted them on its website. 37. A number of delegations inquired if OHCHR would work with regional organizations and treaty bodies to further the decade. South Africa encouraged the Office to cooperate with the African Union Commission delegation located in Geneva. Mr. Boychenko said that OHCHR was in particular working with organizations in Latin America, where the vast majority of African descendants lived. He would, however, also appreciate contacts at other organizations and would be grateful if delegations could establish those contacts. Mr. Boychenko also noted that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was a key partner to further the Decade. Other treaty bodies needed to be involved in the future. 38. The Arab Commission for Human Rights underlined the importance of regional institutions and organizations as well as the importance of the treaty bodies; the importance of the role of religious, cultural and community leaders in the global campaign against racism, in the context of the Decade; and the importance of sharing good practices. 9

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