A/HRC/35/45 III. Discussion on the state of racial discrimination worldwide 18. Mr. Sunga referred to the previous report of the Working Group that had been submitted to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-first session in February 2016 (A/HRC/31/75). He noted that, despite the fact that some States had taken steps to improve the protection of the rights of people of African descent, considerable effort was still needed to improve the situation. 19. Fifteen years after the Durban Conference, the international community was witnessing an alarming increase in racism, “Afrophobia”, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Furthermore, he expressed his concerns about racist discourse being increasingly used against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers by some politicians and political parties. 20. Mr. Sunga noted that the challenge was to ensure the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the programme of activities for the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent and to maintain a specific focus on such people as a particular group. In that regard, he encouraged Member States to fully implement the programme of activities for the Decade. 21. Mr. Sunga underscored the role education must play in shedding new light on the contribution of persons of African descent when it comes to positive developments around the world. He stressed the need to eradicate negative stereotypes. Justice was an essential instrument in achieving reparations, which included elements of restitution, compensation and satisfaction. 22. Mr. Sunga noted the clear linkage between racism and poverty, and outlined that the poorest population group was disproportionately composed of people of African descent, and advocated for the establishment of a forum for people of African descent with the participation of all States, specialized agencies, civil society and all other stakeholders. 23. Finally, he pointed to the possibility of holding one of the sessions of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent somewhere other than in Geneva with the goal of increasing the participation of civil society. 24. Ms. Santos Roland gave a presentation on data collection in Brazil and analysed the connection between race and political participation. She underscored the importance of collecting data in order to identify the issues that needed to be addressed, bearing in mind that lack of reliable information entailed difficulties in developing policy. 25. She noted that policies on affirmative action should be implemented in order to reverse the underrepresentation of persons of African descent in political life. 26. Ms. Suchocka pointed to the important role that education had to play in overcoming the prejudices that still existed in all societies and countries. Education at different levels, including specialized educational programmes, could be an important tool to combat hate speech and discrimination based on religion. 27. The Chair-Rapporteur shared with all participants a statement by the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Mutuma Ruteere. 28. Mr. Ruteere noted that xenophobia had become the currency with which political elites seek to purchase popular appeal as a preferred ticket to political power. In a context in which refugees and migrant movements were increasing, public fears over terrorism and economic pressures had been used by those keen on blaming refugees and migrants. He called for national measures, such as hate crime legislation and effective prosecutions, to combat xenophobic discrimination and violence. He underscored the importance of a contextualized examination of the problems in designing and implementing policies and programmes to promote diversity and inclusion. 29. During the discussion that followed, the representative of Brazil stressed the importance of collecting disaggregated data in order to identify how Governments could address structural discrimination and promote equality in a sustainable way. 4