A/HRC/45/47 related measures necessary to assess regularly the situation of people of African descent who are victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 34. In the outcome document, the representatives of the participating States reiterated the importance of combating effectively prejudices and harmful and wrongful stereotypes that may lead to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and, in this regard, of implementing educational, cultural and awareness-raising programmes with the aim of promoting greater knowledge of and respect for the diverse heritages, cultures and contributions of people of African descent to the development of societies. They also stressed that it was important that textbooks and other educational materials reflect accurately historical facts relating to past tragedies and atrocities, in particular slavery, the slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade, and colonialism. 35. Finally, they expressed their continued will to engage in an open, constructive and transparent dialogue with all stakeholders, in particular States from Africa and regional groups, with regard to the implementation of the programme of activities for the Decade, including through the establishment of a forum, to be provided by one of the existing mechanisms for follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, to serve as a consultation mechanism. They also expressed support for the elaboration of a draft United Nations declaration on the promotion of and full respect for the human rights of people of African descent. 36. In cooperation with the African Union Commission, OHCHR also organized the Regional Meeting for Africa on the International Decade for People of African Descent,32 held in Dakar on 23 and 24 October 2019. That Regional Meeting brought together over 400 representatives of Governments of African States, experts from the region and the diaspora, United Nations special procedure mandate holders and other human rights mechanisms, representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as civil society and young people. The Regional Meeting raised awareness of the representatives of Governments of African States and stakeholders about the Decade; the importance of establishing memorials, of teaching the history of slavery and the slave trade and of strengthening bridges between Africa and the African diaspora; and the links between the 2030 Agenda and the Decade. 37. In Dakar, the High Commissioner met with young civil society activists from Africa and the African diaspora and was impressed by their energy, innovative approaches and views, as well as their interest in working with OHCHR and other stakeholders in drawing greater attention to and increasing momentum for the implementation of the Decade. While in Dakar, OHCHR and the African Union Commission organized a first “youth lab” where young people considered ways to connect, contribute and reach out to their peers around the world about the Decade, particularly by creating user-friendly materials and expanding the use of social media and online platforms to facilitate communication and awareness-raising about the Decade. It was agreed that these ideas would be developed further in the months ahead. 38. Since officially launching the Decade in Addis Ababa on 24 April 2018, OHCHR has been advising and working with the African Union Commission to implement the Decade, including through the African Union continental symposium that was held in Accra in September 2018, at which an action plan was developed for African Union activities in this regard. 39. The European Parliament Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup has been central in advocating for the Decade, calling for strategies and plans against racism and on specific issues such as Afrophobia. On 26 March 2019, the European Parliament adopted for the first time a resolution on the fundamental rights of people of African descent, in which it recognized that the terms “Afrophobia”, “Afri-phobia” and “anti-black racism” referred to a specific form of racism, including any act of violence or discrimination, fuelled by historical 32 8 See www.un.org/en/observances/decade-people-african-descent/2019-africa.