–as people of African descent meet to chart course of remainder of the decade

PEOPLE of African Descent from around the world gathered here yesterday to openly discuss and meaningfully contribute to the situations affecting the race at the 2018 Summit for the International Decade of People of African Descent (IDPAD).
The four-day summit opened at the Marriott Hotel, and saw breakout sessions and remarks being made on the topics of reparations, racism, human rights, health, justice, education, culture and more.

Delivering the opening remarks was Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge who said that the work of IDPAD presents an avenue through which very real and urgent challenges faced by people of African descent can be addressed.

Although the “historical global legacy of wrongs” meted out to Africans has been acknowledged by the United Nations, the minister said that there is yet to be a full acknowledgement of the moral debt incurred and provision of reparations.

“They insist that we should only look ahead rather than peer into the past. However, the call for both reckoning and reparation, in monetary and non-monetary terms, is one that cannot be ignored or forsaken on the altar of altruism. The call is premised on the principles of justice and ethics,” Minister Greenidge said.

Noting that CARICOM is committed to the pursuit of these matters, he commended the IDPAD Summit Committee for taking the initiative to convene their meeting here, given that the organisation’s position is consistent with Guyana’s.
He said that granted that there are many age-old struggles yet to be overcome, the government of the day is committed to playing its part in achieving the objectives of the Decade.

Among the main objectives of the Decade, which runs from 2015 to 2024, are to:
* Promote respect, protection and fulfilment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by People of African Descent, as recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

* promote a greater knowledge of, and respect for, the diverse heritage, culture and contribution of People of African Descent to the development of societies; and

* adopt and strengthen national, regional and international legal frameworks according to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and to ensure their full and effective implementation.

In acknowledging those Guyanese of African Descent who have left an indelible mark on the world, among them Forbes Burnham, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, Walter Rodney, Ivan Van Sertima, Clive Lloyd and Eddy Grant, Minister Greenidge said:

“The ancestors of current African people have, for many years, fought and championed the struggle for freedom, selfhood, respect, recognition and equality among humanity.
“Innumerable persons of African descent have shaped societies across the globe. And while some are known and a few recognised, too often many of their stories go untold.”
For that matter, he feels that the story of the People of African Descent needs to be properly documented.

“The story of People of African Descent ought to be told, and better told. Beyond the challenges and setbacks, there are also innumerable stories of the people who have come through; who have indeed ‘made it’,” Minister Greenidge said.

ONLY FITTING
Meanwhile, Programme Manager of Culture and Community Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, Dr Hilary Brown commended the organisers for hosting the summit here, particularly since Guyana is the only country to date to have established a Country Coordinating Mechanism for People of African Descent.

She is hoping that even before the end of the decade, many of the challenges which still dog people of African descent, such as unequal access to education, employment, health and unequal treatment in the justice system, can be eradicated.

She also spoke against the modern-day slavery of migrants from West Africa being sold in slave markets in countries such as Libya, labelling it “an unacceptable repetition of history” being made possible only because the world has not yet reconciled with the ills of the past.
As such, she reiterated previous calls of the governments of the Caribbean community to pursue former colonial nations for reparations for native genocide, slavery and the trans-Atlantic trade.

“It is the view of CARICOM that success in the reparations claim would be a desirable and fitting outcome of the International Decade of People of African Descent,” Dr Brown said.
Adding his voice to the discourse, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)’s Dr William Adu-Krow said that since the 1990s, the organisation has taken notice of the vast inequity of health in the region which requires specific intervention to be addressed.

Apart from the many works it has since undertaken and completed, Dr Adu-Krow said that PAHO is committed to guiding and assisting African descendants of Guyana and other member states of the region particularly as it relates to health.

“A special regional health plan for African descendant youth was elaborated by African descendant youth from the region with PAHO’s technical support,” he said, adding:
“PAHO is committed to providing technical support in the implementation of this plan, and guiding Guyana to improve the well-being of our Afro-descent youth.”

Senior Human Rights Advisor to the United Nations, Dr Birgit Gerstenberg spoke on behalf of High Commissioner of Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, while the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) also demonstrated their backing of the conference through a letter from New York’s Ninth Congressional District Representative, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, which was read by CBC Associate, Guyanese-born Ms Marcia Johnson-Blanco.

The summit is being convened under the theme, ‘Where we are, Where we ought to be, How we get there’, and aims to eradicate the plight of African descendants through the implementation of possible solutions to issues affecting the race.