Today, 31st August 2022, marks the second time celebrating the International Day for People of African Descent.

Through this Observance the United Nations aims to promote the extraordinary contributions of the African diaspora around the world and calls for elimination of all forms of discrimination against people of African descent.

According to the U.N., 2020 marked the year of a significant change in the way issues of discrimination and marginalization against people of African descent are addressed on a global scale.

At the UN, Dominique Day is a human rights lawyer, and the chairperson of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent while Verene Shepherd is a social historian, and the chairperson of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

It was on a day like today, August 31, in 1920, that the first declaration of the rights of people of African descent was adopted in New York. Commemorating this historic event, last year the General Assembly, under the initiative of Costa Rica, declared this as the International Day for People of African Descent.

International day celebrations invite governments, civil society, the public and private sectors, schools and universities, and citizens of the world to reflect on values that unite humanity and to take concrete actions to advance them.

This holiday commemorates the numerous contributions of people of African Descent. From art and literature to science and research, the African diaspora has had a significant positive impact. African communities, in all their richness and diversity, have left their mark on many parts of the world.

This celebration also aims to provide an opportunity for people to learn more about African heritage and culture through film, dance, music, and art presentations organized on the holiday, as well as other manifestations of political and scientific contributions of people of African descent!!