International Day for People of African Descent

Santo Domingo. - International Afro-Descendants Day is celebrated on August 31st since 2021.[1] It was declared by the United Nations Organization, through resolution 75/170 of December 16, 2020, following a proposal promoted by the Vice President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell Barr, through the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica in New York.

History

In August 1920, the First International Convention of the Black Peoples of the World was held in New York and as a result of the discussions, led by Marcus Garvey with thousands of delegates from different countries, the "Declaration of Rights of the Black Peoples of the World" was adopted.[3] Article 53 of the aforementioned Declaration proclaimed August 31 of each year as an international day to celebrate people of African descent. A date that, however, had never been adopted by any international body. Therefore, the Vice President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell Barr, who is the first Afro-descendant woman to be popularly elected to hold that position in the Americas, announced the presentation of the initiative in a video published by various media outlets. According to Vice President Campbell, the intention with proclaiming the International Day of Afro-Descendants was to do justice to their struggles, hopes, and resistances, bringing this milestone to light in a context where the growing mobilization for racial justice, equality, and inclusion of millions of people under the slogan "Black Lives Matter". Negotiation Process The Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations in New York presented, on November 4, 2020, the draft resolution to the Third Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Initially, the text only had the co-sponsorship of Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru, which is why the days of dialogue and negotiations with the other delegations were intensified. Just a few weeks later, on November 19, 2020, Ambassador Rodrigo Alberto Carazo Zeledón gave a moving speech before the forum to present the project. Surprisingly, the resolution added the co-sponsorship of more than 50 countries from all regions of the world: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gambia, Gabon, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine and Venezuela. Following its adoption by acclamation, the United States delegation was the only one to speak to disassociate itself from the fifth preambular paragraph of draft resolution A/C.3/75/L.51/REV.1.[10]

Said paragraph notes resolution 43/1 of the Human Rights Council of June 19, 2020, on the occasion of the murder of George Floyd, in which the Council strongly condemned "the persistence among law enforcement agencies of violent and discriminatory practices of a racist nature and the excessive use of force against Africans and people of African descent." It also criticized the structural racism of the criminal justice system worldwide. This resolution was questioned by the Administration of President Donald Trump, through the voice of the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

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The inclusion of that reference in the draft resolution to declare the International Day for People of African Descent bothered the United States. Although it did not oppose the approval of the text in the Third Committee, it was not part of the co-sponsoring countries either. On December 16, 2020, the draft resolution, which had been previously adopted by the Third Committee, was considered by the plenary of the UN General Assembly where it was approved by acclamation. 2021 will be the first year in which the International Day for People of African Descent will be celebrated.