Closing ceremony

The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean,
Excellencies,  
Colleagues,

Thank you to the Michaëlle Jean Foundation for bringing us all together for this important Summit. It is a privilege to participate.

I wish to first acknowledge the significance and symbolism of this Summit being held in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia was one of the first places in the world to launch the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent. Over the past seven years, my Office and its partners from civil society, UNESCO Canada, academia and the Canadian Government have been joining forces to use the Decade’s framework to unite voices and to take greater action to address racism, racial discrimination and issues affecting the lives of Black Canadians.

When the UN and the international community proclaimed the International Decade for People of African Descent in 2015, they reaffirmed the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action recognition that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected.

Recognition. Justice. Development. These are the Decade’s three key themes which provide a framework for taking action on the issues affecting people of African descent in many countries around the world.

They serve to guide Member States of the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities. And the Programme of Activities calls for civil society, the private sector, government and people of African descent to work together to address the issues and take action.

In line with these three themes, Member States should be doing their utmost to eradicate poverty and exclusion. Their actions should seek to eliminate racial profiling and police violence and ensure equal access to justice and protection of the law. States should also enable full and equal participation by people of African descent in public, political and economic life. And they should adopt affirmative action policies in education and employment to overcome inequalities.

At the global level, we have a number of other tools and mechanisms to support these efforts.

The newly established Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, an advisory body to the Human Rights Council, serves as a platform for improving the safety and quality of life and livelihoods of people of African descent.

And my Office’s Four-point Agenda Towards Transformative Change for Racial Justice and Equality, which we issued last year, sets out 20 actionable recommendations that provide a roadmap for making real progress. These action points address systemic racism and international human rights law violations by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent.

Colleagues,

The Decade’s Programme of Activities also specifically calls for the organization of national conferences and other events – such as this Summit - aimed at “triggering an open debate and raising awareness on the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.”

We know that real, transformative change to fight racism and racial discrimination can only be achieved with the meaningful engagement and action of those who are directly affected by it. This Summit is a key example of the direction we should be heading in this regard, bringing Black Canadians together with government and civil society to spark an inclusive national dialogue on the fight against racism.  

I am delighted to see that there has also been a focus on the lives and experiences of young Black Canadians. The Michaëlle Jean Foundation continues to demonstrate its vision and skill at tapping into the potential of young people to raise awareness, create art, learn history and heritage, stand up for their rights and write their own stories.

We cannot fight this battle without the energy, passion and experience of youth.

I look forward to seeing the Declaration from this Summit which will reflect the voices of Black Canadians gathered from around the country. I hope that it will inspire and help the current drafting process of the UN declaration on the promotion of human rights of people of African descent. I also sincerely hope that it will engage all actors and partners - governmental and non-governmental, private and public, and young people - in eliminating racism and creating an even more inclusive Canada from coast to coast.  

I encourage you to maintain the momentum. Keep up the conversations long after this Summit is finished. Debate, discuss, exchange. Vibrant and open civic space is one the best keys we have available to unlock progress, to advance the human rights of people of African descent, and to reimagine a better future that ensures justice, equality, and human dignity for all.  

You can count on the support and continued partnership of my Office to strengthen all of your efforts.

 Thank you.