Background

Operative paragraphs 14 and 15 of the above-mentioned resolution request the High Commissioner “…to continue to report on systemic racism, violations of international human rights law against Africans and people of African descent by law enforcement agencies, to contribute to accountability and redress and to take further action globally towards transformative change for racial justice and equality…”, and to prepare a written report on an annual basis. Further, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) refers to the High Commissioner’s Four-Point Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality (found in the annex to A/HRC/47/53).

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

OHCHR invites States and other stakeholders to submit relevant information, notably related to measures to confront legacies of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans, colonialism, and successive racially discriminatory policies and systems:

• Measures taken by States at the local, national, regional and international level to acknowledge and address the legacies of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans, colonialism and successive racially discriminatory policies and systems — including through formal acknowledgment and apologies, truth-telling processes, memorialization, compensation, restitution of cultural heritage and reparations in various forms;
• Measures taken by States to dismantle structures and systems designed and shaped by enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans, colonialism and successive racially discriminatory policies and systems;
• Initiatives taken by other stakeholders, including religious groups, academic institutions, business enterprises and individuals that engaged in, profited from, and/or continue to profit from the legacies of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans, colonialism and successive racially discriminatory policies and systems;
• Measures and initiatives taken by States and other stakeholders to ensure that people of African descent guide the design and implementation of these measures and initiatives through effective participation, including broad and inclusive consultations;
• Action taken by States and other stakeholders to apply an intersectionality framework to the design, implementation and evaluation of these measures and initiatives, including ensuring that the experiences of women of African descent are central to them; and
• Gains made and challenges faced in the design and implementation of measures and initiatives undertaken by States and other stakeholders to confront legacies of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans, colonialism and successive racially discriminatory policies and systems.

How inputs will be used?

Please send your submission, preferably in Word and PDF format in English, French or Spanish, to the Anti-Racial Discrimination Section at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, by regular mail (CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland), by fax to +41 22 917 9014, or by email to [email protected], no later than 9 April 2025. Kindly refer to “Human Rights Council resolution 47/21- High Commissioner report” in the title of the submission and include hyperlinks to relevant documents providing more detailed information.

Submissions should include the full name of the person or organization submitting the information. Unless otherwise specified, all contributions received will be made available in full on the public OHCHR website. Kindly indicate if you wish to keep parts or the entirety of your submission confidential. If your submission includes names of victims and you wish for your submission to be public, please confirm that you have obtained the informed consent of these persons or their representatives, and indicate whether the names and related information are in the public domain.

All submissions received may not be reflected in the final report. Information falling outside the call for inputs will not be considered.