A/HRC/42/59/Add.2 I. Introduction 1. At the invitation of the Government of Argentina, the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent undertook a visit to Argentina from 11 to 18 March 2019. The members of the delegation were Michal Balcerzak (Chair), Sabelo Gumedze and Ricardo Sunga III. 2. During the visit, the Working Group assessed the human rights situation of people of African descent living in Argentina and gathered information on the forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance they face. The Working Group studied the official measures taken and the mechanisms intended to prevent structural racial discrimination and protect victims of racism, as well as responses to multiple forms of discrimination according to the concept of intersectionality. The Working Group visited Buenos Aires, Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe. 3. The Working Group met representatives of several central government ministries in Buenos Aires, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship; the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; the Ministry of Health and Social Development; the Ministry of the Interior, Public Works and Housing; the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology; the Ministry of Security; and the Ministry of Defence. It also met with representatives of the Secretariat of Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism; the National Council for the Coordination of Social Policies and the National Institute of Women; the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses; the Public Prosecutor’s Office; and the Prison Ombudsman’s National Office. It also met with representatives of the Office of the Federal Public Defender, and the Observatory of Human Rights of the Senate. 4. The Working Group met with various local government authorities in Buenos Aires and the provinces of Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe regarding human rights, education, health, employment, housing and culture, as well as judicial and law enforcement authorities in those locations. It also met with officials of the offices of the local Public Defenders. The Working Group also conducted a visit at a temporary holding facility in a police station in Buenos Aires. In all the cities that the Working Group visited, it also met a considerable number of Argentine citizens of African descent, as well as human rights activists, lawyers, academics and representatives of non-governmental organizations. 5. The Working Group thanks the Government of Argentina for its invitation and the authorities in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe for their support and cooperation during the visit. It thanks the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and in particular the Secretariat of Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship. The Working Group also extends its thanks to the United Nations agencies in Buenos Aires for their support for the visit. It would also like to express its appreciation to Afro-Argentine civil society in various parts of the country and appreciates the feedback from everyone who shared their views on the human rights situation of people of African descent in the country. II. Background: historical overview and population 6. Argentina is a federal State consisting of 23 provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and including more than 2,000 municipalities. The provinces enjoy a significant level of autonomy. The federal Government coexists with local governments that have their own constitutions; their own executive, legislative (bicameral or unicameral) and judicial powers; manage their natural and financial resources; and organize their own elections. The national executive and legislative authorities are elected by direct vote every four years (the Senate every six years), with the possibility of being directly re-elected for a second term. In July 2016, Argentina commemorated 200 years of independence. 7. The arrival of the African population in Argentina can be divided into three periods: the first arrivals between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries were Africans. The second wave of arrivals in the late nineteenth century through to the middle of the twentieth century were mostly immigrants from Cabo Verde in search of better conditions of life. The 3