NATIONAL FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT IN MEXICO 2012

• The forum is being held in connection with a 2012 recommendation of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

• It represents an opportunity for discussion between the government, groups of individuals of African descent, civil society organizations and academia.

A national forum on Afro-descendants in Mexico 2012 that will be held on September 26-27 was presented today in the Foreign Ministry with the participation of the Director General of Human Rights and Democracy, Ambassador Alejandro Negrin, and President of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED), Dr. Ricardo Bucio.

The forum is being held to mark the United Nations proclamation of the International Decade for People of African Descent, which calls on governments to strengthen their efforts to reverse acts and omissions that have had a negative impact on this population that is part of our history, our roots and our present.

Ambassador Alejandro Negrin discussed the progress made in Mexico’s foreign policy on human rights which, he said, has resulted in stronger institutional structures and to the implementation of the highest international standards of human rights at the national level. He also talked about how Mexico has fulfilled its international obligations arising from the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and other international forums in which our country has participated.

Regarding the efforts that have been made in this area, Ambassador Negrin mentioned Mexico’s presentation to the Committee in February of this year, which resulted in recommendations to Mexico, including: providing data on the people of African descent in Mexico; taking action to bring attention to this population and to prevent racist acts by act or omission; enact public policies that include cultural and community events to strengthen the social fabric of these communities; promoting awareness of their own identity and preserving and promoting the cultural heritage and legacy of the peoples of African descent in shaping the national culture.

Ricardo Bucio stressed the importance of the national forum for holding a discussion between government institutions, groups of individuals of African descent, civil organizations and academia to take stock of what has been done so far and to evaluate the enormous challenges of addressing the needs of this population, taking into account the UN recommendations for the Mexican government and the commitments it has made.

Mr. Bucio said neither the government nor society has formally recognized the nearly half a million people of African descent (according to academic studies) when affirming and valuing diversity in the country.

He explained that the forum will evaluate international experiences in the fight against racism and inclusion by focusing on four central themes: memory, heritage and education; social and political participation; racial discrimination, gender and health; and affirmative policies and public recognition.

The UN International Year for People of African Descent 2011 was an opportunity to remember that this population participated in Mexico’s creation and has contributed to its economic, social, political and cultural development.

The forum will be enriched by the participation of more than 10 international experts from the UN, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua and Ecuador.

In addition to the thematic discussions and in order to promote full recognition of the cultural identity of peoples of African descent, there will also be a photographic exhibition of Paulina García Hubard’s works  entitled AFROMÉXICO (from September 24 to October 10 in the Foreign Ministry’s exhibition area); the presentation of the book Afro-descendents in Mexico by Maria Elisa Velazquez and Gabriela Iturralde (September 26 at 17:30 pm in Section A of Jose Maria Morelos hall in the Foreign Ministry) and a musical concert by the group Caña Dulce y Caña Brava (September 26 at 18:30 pm in Section C of Jose Maria Morelos hall).

The national forum was organized by the Foreign Ministry; the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED); the National Movement for the Cultural Diversity of Mexico; the National Institute of Anthropology and History; UNESCO’s Slave Route: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage; the Ford Foundation, the Ecumenical Studies Center (ESC); the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS) and the Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples ( CDI) various Afro-descendant organizations in the country.