A/HRC/38/42 B. Mandate 62. The Council decided to appoint the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years with the following mandate: (a) To follow up and report on progress made and measures taken by States for the effective implementation of the principles and guidelines for the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members for the realization of the enjoyment of human rights by persons affected by leprosy and their family members in all regions of the world, and to make recommendations to the Council in this regard; (b) To engage in dialogue and consult with States and other relevant stakeholders, including United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, in particular WHO, other intergovernmental, regional human rights mechanisms, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations to identify, exchange and promote good practices relating to the realization of the rights of persons affected by leprosy and their family members, and to their participation as equal members of society with a view to achieving a leprosy-free world; (c) To raise awareness of the rights of persons affected by leprosy and their family members and to combat stigmas, prejudices and harmful traditional practices and beliefs that hinder their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms and their participation in society on an equal basis with others; (d) To report annually to the Council, starting from its thirty-eighth session. 63. The Special Rapporteur commends the establishment of the mandate as an important milestone in addressing the marginalized and mostly forgotten segment of population that experience multiple discrimination and violation. As a new mandate within the Council, the Special Rapporteur will identify key areas in which she can effectively contribute to the advancement of the rights of persons affected by leprosy and their family members. For the effective implementation of the duties and responsibilities assigned to the mandate, the Special Rapporteur should rely on the support of the States, partners and other stakeholders, especially civil society and organizations of persons affected by leprosy. C. Vision Intersectionality and affirmative action 64. Leprosy-related discrimination is multiple and multilayered and there is sufficient evidence to suggest that leprosy commonly intersects with other identity labels subjected to oppression, marginalization, exclusion and violence. Among the more frequent social conditions and identities that intersect with leprosy are: gender; ethnicity and/or race; age; disability; migration; and poverty. 65. In fact, intersectionality is key to an in-depth understanding of leprosy-related discrimination. Intersectionality as a concept came from feminist theory and politics. Its origin came from the need to understand the discrimination of black women through an analysis that simultaneously encompassed gender and race. Intersectionality is not an additive approach. Accordingly, different categories do not accumulate, but interrelate in dynamic ways that always have a particular system of domination as a background. 48 This means that intersectionality stands for the numerous effects that result from the intersection of distinct differential axes in specific historical contexts. It also states that different dimensions of social life cannot be artificially separated into pure phenomena. 49 In practice, 48 49 Patricia Hill Collins, Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (Boston, Unwin Hyman, 1990). Avtar Brah and Ann Phoenix, “Ain’t I a woman? Revisiting intersectionality”, Journal of International Women’s Studies, vol. 5, No. 3 (2004), pp. 75–86. 13