(2nd meeting) 2nd Session of the Permanent Forum…

• Item 5: Thematic Discussion: Global Reparatory Justice

Colonialism and the enslavement of Africans and people of African descent have had a profound effect on communities and countries around the world. There is no timeline on racism and the inhumanity it has utilized in the oppression of people of African descent in the past, the present and its consolidation for the future. The impact is manifested in the intergenerational trauma that transcends the past and the healing process must commence with the recognition of the culpability of colonial governments and their public and private enterprises. As the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2001) established, many of the domestic and international inequities we see in the world today have been deeply shaped by histories and legacies of colonialism and enslavement. Including, lasting consequences of centuries of dehumanization, subjugation, violence, trauma, loss of culture, home, kin, attendant senses of self, impoverishment, systemic and structural racism. Reparations recognizes the critical importance of addressing the legacy of colonialism and the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and many prominent global challenges with a profound impact on the enjoyment of human rights of peoples of African descent. As the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognises, sustainable development requires a transformation of our world towards greater equity within and among countries—a world in which no one is left behind and all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment. The opening thematic panel of the Second Session of the Permanent Forum will discuss how reparatory justice can serve global transformations towards sustainable social and international orders by effectively recognizing, addressing and correcting lasting consequences of past injustices and crimes against people of African descent.

The Second Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) will be part of a global consultative process with a focus on five thematic panels on global reparatory justice, Pan-Africanism, transnational migration, data-collection for recognising and addressing systemic and structural racism, and health, well-being and intergenerational trauma.