A/HRC/42/58 E. Organization of work 15. At the same meeting, the Chair-Rapporteur introduced a draft programme of work for the session, which was adopted. The programme of work, as subsequently revised, is contained in annex II. The Chair-Rapporteur invited general comments from participants. 16. Delegations warmly congratulated the Chair-Rapporteur on his election and made opening statements. 17. The Permanent Representative of Angola to the United Nations Office at Geneva delivered an opening statement on behalf of the African Group, stating that the session was timely, as it came at a critical juncture when there was increasing racism and xenophobia around the world, leaving no doubt concerning what needed to be done to counter those acts. Racism concerned the denial of humanity of human beings. No one could admit that freedom of expression should be above human dignity, but unfortunately some still did. She added that new forms of xenophobia must be legally condemned. 18. The African Group was of the view that the following items should be considered during the session not only because of their relevance but particularly because of the urgency to survey them: (a) migrants were human beings, therefore they deserved to be treated with humanity and be protected against, discriminatory and xenophobic practices; (b) despite the decentralized nature of the Internet, freedom of expression in cyberspace must be regulated and denounced in a dissuasive way in order to curb the dissemination of hate speech, incitement to racial discrimination and ideas based on racial superiority or hatred and it was the responsibility of the State to properly regulate it; (c) a comprehensive and holistic approach to anti-discriminatory legislation must be adopted by all stakeholders through human rights education in promoting a “culture of peace” and non-violence, conflict prevention and tolerance. 19. The African Group was convinced that discussions within the Ad Hoc Committee would contribute to identifying possible elements for elaboration of the complementary standards that societies needed today. It was time to update standards in order to clearly define the responsibilities of individuals, companies and Governments. The Group once again called upon all countries and stakeholders to constructively contribute to the effective fulfilment of the mandate of this important Human Rights Council mechanism. 20. The representative of Brazil reiterated the commitment of Brazil to reinforcing the international legal framework against all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including by establishing complementary standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. He stated that Brazil urged all countries to engage in such efforts in a spirit of compromise and commitment to a world in which every person fully enjoyed freedom from all forms of discrimination and intolerance. He welcomed the topics that would be discussed during the tenth session and called on all countries to reinforce their efforts to implement policies, programmes and activities aiming at combating all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 21. Regarding the mandate of the Ad Hoc Committee, the representative of Brazil called upon all delegations and regional groups to work to build mutual trust and compromise and find common ground on sensitive and important issues concerning the elaboration of complementary standards to the Convention. He looked forward to constructive and open exchanges during the current session. 22. The representative of China welcomed the efforts of the African Group and the Committee to eliminate racial discrimination and expressed its commitment to the work of the Ad Hoc Committee. Racism trampled on the essential values of equality, freedom and justice, seriously undermining human rights and threatening the progress of human civilization. Racism was still a serious concern in some countries. Right-wing policies and neo-Nazism were on the rise. Some political figures, ostensibly in the name of democracy, and free speech openly incited racism and xenophobia without being held accountable. The representative of China called upon countries where serious racial incidents had been observed to implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and other 4