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Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

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About the mandate

The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban in 2001, adopted the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. It specifically requested the Commission on Human Rights to

  • consider establishing a working group or other mechanism of the United Nations to study the problems of racial discrimination faced by people of African descent living in the African Diaspora, and
  • make proposals for the elimination of racial discrimination against people of African descent.

The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent was established in 2002 by the Commission on Human Rights resolution 2002/68 (as a Special Procedure). The mandate was subsequently renewed by the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council in its resolutions (CHR 2003/30, A/HRC/RES/9/14, A/HRC/RES/18/28, A/HRC/RES/27/25, A/HRC/RES/36/23, A/HRC/RES/45/24 and A/HRC/54/26).

More about the mandate of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

Working Group members

The WGEPAD is composed of five independent experts appointed on the basis of equitable geographic representation. Members are elected for three years and can be renewed for one additional three-year mandate.

Learn more about the Working Group’s current members

Contact Information

The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent
OHCHR-UNOG 8-14 Avenue de la Paix 1211 Geneve 10, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 917 9000
Fax: +41 22 917 9008
Email: hrc-wg-africandescent@un.org