The UN on Tuesday, celebrated the enormous contributions of Africans in the diaspora to every field of human endeavor, marking the first-ever International Day for People of African Descent.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in his inaugural message, called for greater commitment to advance the promise of equality, justice, and dignity for all.

“It is a long-overdue recognition of the profound injustices and systemic discrimination, that people of African descent have endured for centuries and continue to confront today.

“And it is an urgent call to action for everyone, everywhere, to commit to rooting out the evil of racism.

“More than 200 million people in the Americas alone, identify as being of African descent. Millions more are located worldwide outside the African continent.

“Whether as descendants of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade or as more recent migrants, they are among some of the poorest and most marginalized groups, ” the UN said.

In December 2020, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, establishing the International Day.

The objective was to promote greater recognition and respect for the diverse heritage, culture and contribution of people of African descent to the development of societies and to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent.

The resolution also recalled two related UN initiatives: the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, and the declaration of the International Decade for People of African Descent, which ran through 2024.

“Twenty years after the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and more than halfway into the International Decade for People of African Descent, we are experiencing unprecedented momentum toward ending the global scourge of racism.

“We must not squander this opportunity,” the secretary-general said.

Costa Rica spearheaded efforts to create the international day. The Central American country changed its political constitution in 2015, defining itself as a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation.

Guterres pointed to the UN’s work to dismantle racism, the Slave Route Project.

The Slave Route Project, run by the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), encouraged open and honest conversation around the horror and greed of slavery.

Ahmadu Bello foundation grants scholarship to 800 students – official

Another initiative by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) focused on expanding opportunities for young people of African descent, while the UN human rights office, OHCHR, had launched the Agenda Toward Transformative Change for Racial Justice and Equality, in efforts to tackle systemic racism, ensure accountability and deliver reparatory justice.

Earlier in August, the UN General Assembly established the UN Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, a 10-member advisory body that would work closely with the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“Acknowledging the entrenched legacy of enslavement, redressing the wrongs of history and shattering the evil lie of supremacy, demands persistence and action every day, at every level, in every society.

“Together, let us commit to do our part and advance the promise of equality, justice and dignity for all, ” the UN chief said.