A/HRC/28/81 the historical impact of racism, Ms. Fanon-Mendes France suggested that deconstructing the notion of racism was key to addressing the persistence of inequality and domination related to racial distinctions in pluralistic contemporary societies. In this context, she also suggested that the international community had an important opportunity during the International Decade for People of African Descent to promote human rights education, including through awareness-raising activities to prevent and combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 18. The delegate of Morocco asked if the construction of memorials could serve as a vector to combat racial discrimination, and asked if education on human trafficking could be seen as an example of a preventive approach. The representative also asked about preventive measures to combat xenophobia. The representative of the European Union delivered a statement strongly condemning all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and added that comprehensive legislation had been in place in the EU since 2000 which covered areas such as education, employment, housing, etc. It also protected people of African descent as well as individuals from direct and indirect forms of discrimination. The representative asked the presenter to assess the possibility of attaining progress and tangible results in the promotion of human rights education as part of the upcoming Decade. 19. The representative of Switzerland (on behalf of Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland and Uruguay) stated that human rights education played a vital role in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. These delegations shared the view that the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, adopted in December 2011, provided a common framework for action for all relevant actors. It hoped that States would further develop their national action plans and initiatives in this area in order to raise the awareness of the public and shift society toward a more tolerant and respectful one. Schools, especially primary school, are the perfect place to start efforts. As called for by the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the outcome documents of the Durban Review Conference, States should be encouraged to take action in keeping with the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the UN Declaration. 20. The delegate of Switzerland asked for the presenters’ views on the relationship between existing instruments, and the World Programme for Human Rights Education and whether there was a need for complementary standards. The representative of South Africa said that Paragraph 199 of the DDPA had already identified that there are gaps in the current instruments and asked the presenter for relevant recommendations related to elaborating instruments on prevention and human rights education. The representative of Cuba asked the presenter about ways to ensure increased prevention and awareness-raising on the subject and asked Ms. Fanon-Mendes France about the identification of gaps in the subject area. The representative of the USA stated that while the United States had made strides in combating racial discrimination, the example of the Trayvon Martin incident showed that more work needed to be done. While action needed to be undertaken to address gaps with respect to xenophobia at the international level, new treaties or modifications to existing treaties, were not required. The representative asked the expert if the existing tools were effective and adequate. 21. In response, Ms. Fanon-Mendes France said that it was crucial that the world community viewed the legacy of racism as a shared history not just limited to people of African descent. She noted that it was important effectively to enforce existing international laws and standards. She added that some of the issues which she felt were important to be elaborated upon further included the intersectionality of racial discrimination, xenophobia, the definition of Afrophobia and the phenomenon of racial profiling. All these areas 26