A/HRC/13/59 I. Introduction 1. Bearing in mind its status as a special procedure of the former Commission on Human Rights, the Working Group of experts on people of African descent decided at its fourth session to undertake country visits as a means of effectively discharging its mandate. The Working Group recognized that such visits could contribute to in-depth understanding of the situation of people of African descent in various regions of the world.1 2. At the invitation of the Government of Ecuador, the Working Group undertook a country visit to Ecuador from 22 to 26 June 2009. The delegation, headed by Joe Frans, the Chairperson of the Working Group, also included the expert Mirjana Najcevska. During their mission, the experts visited Quito, Guayaquil, Chota and San Lorenzo. 3. In Quito, the Working Group met with the Director-General of Human Rights and Social Affairs from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Vice-Minister for Coordination of Internal and External Security; the Executive Director of CODAE; the President of the National Congress; the Minister of Justice and Human Rights; an adviser on intercultural affairs from the Coordinating Ministry for Natural and Cultural Patrimony; the UnderSecretary for statistics and analysis from the Coordinating Ministry for Social Development; the Under-Secretary and staff of the National Secretariat for Planning and Development; the Attorney-General of Ecuador; the Director of the Programme for AfroEcuadorian Development of the Quito Directorate for Social Inclusion; the President of the National Court of Justice; the National Ombudsman and the Minister of Social and Economic Inclusion. They also met with representatives from United Nations agencies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics and members of the Afro-Ecuadorian communities in Guayaquil, Chota and San Lorenzo. In San Lorenzo, they also visited a primary school with predominantly Afro-Ecuadorian students. 4. The experts wish to thank the Government of Ecuador for its invitation and for its help and assistance before and during their visit to the country. They would also like to thank the representatives of international organizations, NGOs, academics and people of African descent with whom they met during their mission. In this report, the experts examine the situation of people of African descent living in Ecuador. This report describes the facts observed and the information received by the Working Group during its visit. II. Context of people of African descent in Ecuador A. General situation 5. The African ancestors of Ecuadorians of African descent began arriving in Ecuador as a result of the slave trade and ensuing African diaspora to the Americas that began in the sixteenth century. Their marginalization during the period of slavery precluded any possibility of social ascension or integration into the wider population. Slavery was abolished in Ecuador in 1851 and the slaves were progressively set free over the following five years. The emancipation of Afro-Ecuadorians did not mean, however, that they gained immediate access to political, economic or property rights. To this end, various movements were organized during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries with the aim of 1 4 See E/CN.4/2005/21, para. 98. GE.10-10207