A/HRC/43/73 on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by States parties. The Committee could ensure that the periodic reporting covered progress made by States parties in the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. The Committee welcomed the initiative to draft an international declaration for the human rights of people of African descent. The general recommendations that were adopted by the Committee were instruments that enabled it to take up the various topics related to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, two examples of which were its general recommendation No. 35 (2013) on combating racist hate speech and its draft general recommendation on racial profiling and algorithmic bias. The Committee was now receiving inter-State communications. It received a communication from Qatar against the United Arab Emirates and one from the State of Palestine against Israel. 44. The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran highlighted that among the measures to be taken to enhance the effectiveness of the mechanism to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action was the enhancement of multilateralism. Colonialism had been a clear symbol of unilateralism over the past century; returning to such state of affairs would undermine efforts to implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, given that it stirred up xenophobia, racism and anti-immigration sentiment across the globe. 45. The representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela highlighted the fact that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action had called for basic measures to strengthen education against racism, reaffirming the need to make available the necessary resources to victims and to ensure their human rights. The representative noted that a decree had been signed in 2019 by the Head of State establishing a decade for people of African descent. 46. The representative of the European Union highlighted that, limited resources notwithstanding, work was being done on proliferation of the mechanisms and not as much on effective implementation. She stated that the European Union supported the renewal of the mandate of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. She highlighted some negative aspects of the functioning of the five independent eminent experts on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, namely, that two of the five members had been serving since its creation in 2002 and that the mandate of the mechanism did not have any fixed duration, which, in the view of the European Union, should be three years. With regard to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, she pointed out that it had been mandated with drafting an additional protocol in 2016, but a compromise could not be reached. She also highlighted the lack of compromise on the establishment of the forum on people of African descent, in particular with regard to whether it would be based in Geneva or New York. 47. A representative of civil society highlighted that the establishment of the forum for dialogue on people of African descent was set out in the programme of activities. The failure to establish such a forum was a missed opportunity, given that it could have been a mechanism by which to hold countries accountable. He stated that all the various mechanisms had their roles and that a discussion should be held on how they could work more closely together. 48. Mr. Murillo, with regard to the proposal for a protocol to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, stated that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had emphasized on several occasions that the Convention was a living instrument that fostered the interpretation of the means of dealing with racism and racial discrimination. Examples of that were the Committee’s general recommendation No. 35 and its draft recommendation on racial profiling and algorithmic bias, the latter in particular addressing issues not specifically covered by the Convention. He recalled that thematic debates and consultations with States parties were held before drafting such general recommendations. He also recalled the Committee’s fluid communications procedure and interactions with the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, as well as their exchanges of views and examinations of various cross cutting issues. 49. Ms. Day affirmed the need for more resources and agreed on the need to develop real mechanisms for assessing impact and ensuring the maximization of efforts. She highlighted 7