A/HRC/43/73 7. After the election of the Chair-Rapporteur, the Working Group adopted the programme of work for its seventeenth session. C. Statements 8. The Chair-Rapporteur invited general statements from participants. 9. The representative of Brazil highlighted the special and unique nature of the discrimination faced by people of African descent in Brazil and added that the International Decade was a historic opportunity to promote change and encourage international efforts, such as the establishment of a permanent forum on people of African descent and the launch of negotiations on a United Nations declaration on the rights of people of African descent. 10. The representative of the European Union stated that the intersecting forms of discrimination faced by women of African descent merited urgent discussion. She agreed that there was a need to begin reflecting on the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and on how best to use that milestone to focus on the fight against racism. 11. The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that a worldwide wave of contemporary forms of racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, violent extremist movements, national populism, neo-Nazism and related intolerance continued to exist, threatening the enjoyment of human rights around the globe. 12. The representative of Cuba noted that his Government had adopted a national programme to combat racial discrimination and that a governmental committee was set up by the President of Cuba to coordinate the programme. He expressed deep concern about the increase and resurgence in many countries of neo-Nazism and xenophobia. 13. The representative of Nigeria stressed that, in the interest of peaceful coexistence and security, there was a need to collectively renew commitment to combating racism and discouraging racist and xenophobic political narratives. 14. The representative of Trinidad and Tobago recalled that her country had recently organized a one-day discussion on the International Decade in collaboration with the Caribbean Community, OHCHR and the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. She stressed that, while the achievements of women and girls of African descent were being celebrated, there was a need to reflect on the continued challenges and obstacles that they faced. 15. The representative of South Africa expressed concern about the current global trend of the resurgence of racist and extremist movements promoting false supremacist ideologies based on extreme populist and nationalist ideologies. He added that such movements had become emboldened by the anonymity of modern means of communication. 16. The representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela noted with concern the increase in racist manifestations, xenophobia and hate speech, as a result of which millions of people had suffered acts of violence, including the death of innocent people. Those tragic events had disproportionately affected people in situations of poverty. 17. The representative of Egypt expressed deep concern that certain types of xenophobia continued to exist in the world and were expressed through hate speech on the Internet and in social media, in particular by the extreme right and affiliated groups. He stressed the importance of taking global action to address those issues. 18. The representative of Azerbaijan shared the experience of Azerbaijan in promoting intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity, noting its unique location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and that it had historically been a place for the peaceful coexistence of different cultures. 19. The representative of Colombia recalled that Colombia had 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants in its territory and that his Government was implementing special policies to ensure the rights of Venezuelans, including granting Colombian nationality to the children of Venezuelan migrants born in Colombia. 3