A/HRC/40/75 17. The representative of Lesotho called upon the Working Group to come up with recommendations to demonstrate that racism had no place in the world today. In addition, he noted that the consensus spirit of the Durban Declaration should be followed. 18. The representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia stated that the country had been implementing a series of initiatives, for example promoting the learning of indigenous languages in schools and learning about indigenous cultures and knowledge. He expressed the country’s interest in sharing good practices and its support for a United Nations declaration for the promotion of and respect for the human rights of people of African descent. 19. The representative of the World against Racism Network called on all actors to join in the implementation of the Durban Programme and Programme of Action and the programme of activities of the International Decade for People of African Descent. III. Discussion of the state of racial discrimination worldwide 20. Mr. Balcerzak discussed some of the main issues he had been working on as Chair of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. He emphasized the recent growing trend of racial inequality, particularly the need to address racism and Afrophobia, and stated that people of African descent were calling for equality data to be collected as an important step in addressing the racism they faced. 21. Mr. Murillo discussed the importance of focusing on people of African descent, as it was the key theme bringing people together when looking at the adoption of a declaration. He noted that a declaration on the rights of people of African descent would be of benefit to the promotion of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and create an opportunity to establish new standards. 22. The representative of the European Union listed its recent initiatives to combat racism and racial discrimination. The European Union recognized the contributions that people of African descent had made to Europe and would ensure the full participation and equal treatment of populations of African descent in Europe. It was committed to promoting the Convention, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the Outcome Document of the Durban Review Conference. 23. The representative of Mexico highlighted national initiatives to combat racial discrimination, including the prohibition of racial discrimination enshrined in the Constitution. She also noted remedies for anyone affected by racial discrimination and the measures established to tackle the structural causes of racial discrimination. As a federal State, all 32 federal entities had adopted anti-discrimination laws and 27 had adopted antidiscrimination clauses. 24. The representative of South Africa was concerned that political leaders had shown an increasing tolerance for hate in their platforms, especially for racist and xenophobic speech against minorities and refugees. He called upon States to refrain from utilizing discriminatory speech and underlined the importance of an intersectional approach. 25. The representative of Brazil supported the initiatives in place to address racism and racial discrimination. She stressed the need for a multilateral approach to keep the issue in high profile and the need to elaborate on national development. The fourth national conference for the promotion of racial equality, held in Brazil in May 2018, had concluded with 100 recommendations. That document had been sent to the Government to be incorporated into the national system for the promotion of racial equality. 4