The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) adopted by acclamation this Wednesday 16th, a resolution presented by Costa Rica and co-sponsored by 52 countries, to declare August 31st as the International Day for People of African Descent.
Announced by Vice President Epsy Campbell Barr on national TV last August to commemorate the Historic Month of Afro-descendants in Costa Rica, the initiative aims to recognize the contributions of Afro-descendants around the world and their struggles to combat all forms of racism and racial discrimination.
In August 1920 the First International Convention of the Black Peoples of the World was held in New York and as a result of discussions, led by Marcus Garvey with thousands of delegates from different countries, the “Declaration of the Rights of Black Peoples of the World” was adopted.
Said declaration “was one of the most notable of the 20th century, by making explicit the rights to racial justice, equality before the law, the right to self-determination, freedom of the press, freedom of religious worship, the right to unlimited education, as well as the right to peace, long before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said Vice President Campbell.
“This proposal presented by Costa Rica and which has had the support of the UN General Assembly seeks to do justice to the struggles, hopes and resistance of Afro-descendants around the world, bringing to light this milestone in a context of growing mobilization for racial justice, equality and non-discrimination”, she added. For his part, the Minister of Foreign Relations and Worship, Rodolfo Solano Quirós, thanked the countries for their active involvement and support during the negotiation process.
Extensive support
The resolution adopted this Wednesday had to pass before the approval of the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which added the co-sponsorship of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape 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, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, East Timor, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine and Venezuela.
