THE United Nations body formed to promote respect for and protect people of African descent around the world said on Tuesday that the legacies of colonialism, enslavement and apartheid are “still alive today.”

The report, which was delivered to the UN general assembly on Monday, says that reparations are essential to rectify past injustices against people of African descent and are “a cornerstone of justice in the 21st century.”

Epsy Campbell Barr, chair of the permanent forum on people of African descent, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the report underlines that “the legacies of colonialism, enslavement and apartheid are still alive today.”

These legacies still have a real impact on the lives of millions of people of African descent who “are more exposed to violence and death as a result of encounters with law enforcement officials,” she said. 

“It also makes them more exposed to health disparities” from “the profound impact that racism and racial discrimination have on both physical and mental health.”

Ms Campbell Barr said the report highlights that “there is an invisibility of people of African descent,” especially for vulnerable groups.

The forum was established by a general assembly resolution in August 2021 as a UN consultative body for improving the safety, quality of life and livelihoods of people of African descent. It also serves as an advisory body to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council.

The forum’s report and recommendations are based on its two initial sessions, one last December in Geneva and one on May 30-June 2 in New York.

“During the sessions of the permanent forum, halting and reversing the lasting consequences of enslavement, colonialism, genocide and apartheid were seen as key to addressing systemic and structural racism against people of African descent, both internationally and domestically,” the report says.

The report recommends that all 193 UN member nations “educate themselves and the public on the histories and legacies of colonialism and enslavement.”

Ms Campbell Barr, who was Costa Rica’s first vice-president in 2018-2022, said that the report also recommends holding a global summit and seeking legal opinions and studies on the reparations issue.

The 2021 assembly resolution called for the forum to consider drafting a UN declaration on the promotion, protection and respect for the human rights of people of African descent.

In the report, the forum strongly supports such a declaration, saying that it would fill gaps in existing human rights instruments and “be a vital tool to guarantee dignity, inclusion, equity and reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent.”