A/HRC/42/58 related to racial discrimination. As Angola was preparing to ratify the Convention in 2019, she took the opportunity to state that the country condemned all forms and acts of racial violence, xenophobia and incitement to racial hatred, and remained open to additional ideas to combat this phenomenon. Angola shared the view that a new document was needed to address more recent forms and manifestations of racial discrimination and promote strong international cooperation on the implementation of the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and the Convention itself. Her delegation looked forward to discussing in the Committee all pragmatic approaches and suggestions that in the end would constitute a good basis for the elaboration of complementary standards in the form of a protocol. 41. The representative of Lesotho aligned his delegation with the statement by the African Group. His delegation supported the criminalization of all acts of racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Like sexism, racism and xenophobia had negative effects on people and on the economy of countries. States had a moral obligation to implement appropriate and effective measures to halt and reverse the longlasting consequences of discrimination and racism. He recalled that in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action States were urged to take all necessary measures to address racism and racially motivated violence and hatred through policies and programmes. 42. The representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reiterated his country’s commitment to the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The country reaffirmed its compliance with paragraph 199 of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action with respect to the need to elaborate complementary norms that reinforced and updated the international legal framework to face the new expressions and stereotypes of racism and discrimination in all their manifestations, in the protection of victims. In 2018, the national decree on the International Decade for People of African Descent had been signed in his country to promote, respect, protect and fulfil the human rights and freedoms of people of African descent. 43. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela considered that now was the historic and opportune moment to address all such issues, given the manifestations of racism and xenophobia in various regions of the world. It valued the work of the Committee in advancing the elaboration of complementary norms to the Convention and to fill the gaps in it, as well as to provide new normative standards aimed at combating all forms of contemporary racism, including incitement to racial and religious hatred. The representative reiterated the support of his delegation in the exercise of the important mandate of the Ad Hoc Committee. 44. The representative of Namibia aligned his delegation with the statement of the African Group. He noted that racism was a reality impacting the lives of countless humans across the globe and that it was evolving in its manifestations. His delegation was not convinced by the position that there were no gaps in the Convention. The representative stressed the importance of the Committee’s work and that it was imperative that it stay focused on delivering on its mandate. 45. The representative of Switzerland stated that certain delegations, including the Swiss delegation, had not been in a position to support the resolutions requesting the Committee to commence the drafting of a legally-binding document at its tenth session. She added that Switzerland had been following the Committee’s discussion in a pragmatic fashion, with a focus on tangible evidence that the Convention indeed had gaps that could only be filled by international legislation. While Switzerland was convinced that the topics that would be discussed during the Committee’s session were of the utmost importance, it was not convinced that international legislation was the appropriate way to address those issues. The representative indicated that Switzerland would continue to follow the discussions in accordance with that position. 46. The representative of Japan noted that her country was aware of the importance of the issue of racial discrimination and encouraged delegates to tackle the issue jointly. She stressed that the Committee should seek consensus, as it was important to bring all views on board, although it was cautious about the introduction of new legally-binding instruments. Priority should be given to the implementation of the existing legal 8