Fourth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

Topic: Harnessing AI for Digital Economic Justice: Advancing Equity for Black Americans and the African Diaspora

Date/ Time: Monday, April 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada}

Sponsor/Agency: African American Futures Society

Language: English

Description: This panel explores the intersection of AI and digital economic justice for Black Americans, highlighting their global influence, role in reparations, and connection to the African Diaspora. While AI offers potential, it can deepen racial disparities in criminal justice and finance. The discussion will focus on inclusive AI development, ethical guidelines, and regulations to prevent harm and ensure equitable opportunities. Drawing on UN human rights mechanisms, it will identify actions to promote digital economic justice and a sustainable future for Black Americans, the African Diaspora, and marginalized communities worldwide.

Location: The Baha’I Community Center 866 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York

Contact: Yul Anderson email:yul69@yahoo.com 

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TFSujhOFQFq9l507JZLTsA

● Title of the side event: State of Black Economics Report - Leveraging Data to Understand Barriers, Take Action, and Mitigate Pushback

● Date, time and time zone: April 14 at 1pm ET

● Sponsoring organization/entity: The Diversity Institute

● Language in which the side event will be held: English

● Description of the side event
Leveraging the Diversity Institute’s State of Black Economics Report, we will explore up to date data on the experiences of diverse Black communities, and particularly Black women, across Canada. This side event will leverage the findings and advocate for continued and expanded data collection, data-driven actions that support diverse Black communities in the workforce and workplace, and ways that organizations can leverage this data to break down barriers. Additionally, in the era of pushback on EDIA and addressing anti-Black racism initiatives in the U.S. and Canada, we will offer strategies for addressing pushback and leveraging data to stay the course.

● Speakers:
○ Nancy Mitchell, Director of Research Special Projects - Diversity Institute
○ Cassandra Dorrington, President & CEO, Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council – CAMSC
○ Jemal Demeke, Researcher, Wellesley Institute
○ Nadine Spencer, CEO, BrandEQ Group

● Location of the side event: Virtual: https://torontomu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1khBCPn-SYy2VCXGJgskkw#/registration

● Name and email address of the lead organizer (and permission to publish the lead organizer’s contact details): Nancy Mitchell, Diversity Institute, n.mitchell@torontomu.ca

THE APPROPRIATE USE OF "SLAVERY" AND "THE SLAVE TRADE" THROUGHOUT THE UNITED NATIONS ANTI-RACISM MECHANISMS REGARDING REPARATIONS
DATE: Monday, April 14th, 2025.                                                      TIME: 1:00pm to - 3:00 pm EST
LOCATION: Suite #120 - 866 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017
REGISTRATION: https://forms.gle/953G7ST7GJhP7oEm6

EVENT DESCRIPTION
The consistent use of ‘slavery’ and the ‘slave trade’ as the legal and conceptually appropriate terms for the harms that reparations address is paramount. Over two decades ago, the United Nations (UN) Durban Declaration and Program of Action recognized slavery and the slave trade, particularly the transatlantic slave trade, as crimes against humanity. It also acknowledged that Africans and people of African descent were victims of these acts and continue to suffer from their consequences.

Reparations for slavery and the slave trade are a central focus of the Second International Decade for Peoples of African Descent (2025 - 2034). The UN Permanent Forum of People of African Descent has prioritised reparations, while regional entities, such as the Programme of Action for CARICOM’s Ten Point Plan, provide a structured reparations framework. The African Union’s proposed theme for 2025, “Justice for Africans and people of African Descent through Reparations,” further underscores commitment to this issue.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the cornerstone of the international legal framework to prevent and combat racial discrimination. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is preparing a General Recommendation on Reparations for the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, reinforcing ICERD’s role in ensuring full and effective implementation of reparatory justice.

In parallel, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the UN submitted a proposal to include the slave trade as a provision in the Draft articles on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity. Additionally, Sierra Leone proposed to amend the Rome Statute, of the International Criminal Court, to include the slave trade as a crime against humanity, as well as slavery and the slave trade as war crimes.

While actors within the UN Anti-racism Mechanisms and regional bodies share a commitment to reparations, differences persist in the terminology they use. This side event seeks to clarify why consistent terminology will be important in all advocacy efforts.

From April 14 – 17, 2025, the fourth session of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent (PFPAD) will take place at the UN Headquarters in New York. As part of the session, a side event on April 14 will feature a panel of experts discussing the appropriate terminology for referring to slavery and the slave trade in the context of reparations advocacy. This side event is intended for PFPAD participants, CERD members and their constituencies, as well as representatives from UN Member States, regional entities, civil society, academia, practitioners and other experts engaged in the issue of reparations.

PROPOSED PROGRAM

OPENING REMARKS
• George Shadrack Kamanda, First Secretary, Legal Affairs, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations (tbc)

MODERATION AND CLOSING
• S. Priya Morley, Director, Racial Justice Initiative, Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, NYU Law

SPEAKERS
• Gay McDougall, Vice-Chair, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
• Patricia Viseur Sellers, former Special Advisor for Slavery Crimes to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and Visiting Fellow, Kellogg College, University of Oxford

DISCUSSANTS
• June Soomer, Chairperson, Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
• Verene A. Shepherd, Vice-Chair, CARICOM Reparations Commission and CERD, Director of the Institute for Reparations Research, The University of the West Indies
• Barbara G. Reynolds, Member, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

Q&A

Mapping Racial Justice to Build a More Just World: Getting the Lay of the Land

📍 New York, NY
📅 Monday, April 14, 2025
🕑 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (ET)
📝 RSVP Link: cvent.me/G15AYX

This 90-minute dialogue builds on a workshop we hosted last September at Howard University on the margins of the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. That strategy session brought together Black lawmakers and civil society leaders from across the Americas and Europe to identify global patterns of anti-Black racism and begin building coordinated responses.

In line with one of the workshop’s key recommendations—to build sustainable coalitions, create resource-sharing mechanisms, and support youth engagement—this side event will spotlight two youth-led initiatives:

• The University of Pittsburgh’s David C. Frederick Honors College Racial Equity Resource Database — mapping racial justice efforts and civil society activity around the globe.
• Howard University’s Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center Movement Lawyering Clinic Black Audit Project — uncovering patterns of systemic harm against Black communities across U.S. cities.

The event will take the form of a roundtable discussion between students from Howard and the University of Pittsburgh. They will share the goals and findings of their respective projects, explain why their work matters, and reflect on how their efforts contribute to the broader global resistance ecosystem. The conversation will be moderated by the Director of the Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University.

Together, these efforts represent a critical starting point: getting the lay of the land. We can’t coordinate global resistance to anti-Black racism without first understanding where the challenges are most acute—and who is already doing the work to confront them.

We hope you will join us for this timely and collaborative conversation. Please feel free to share this invitation with others in your network who may be interested in attending. We are asking that everyone please RSVP for this event by April 10, 2025.

Security Language

Event address and main entrance: 320 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017.

Security & Registration: All guests are required to present a valid photo ID matching the name on the registration in order to receive the entry badge. Additionally, guests are required to undergo a pre-screening bag check upon arrival at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice.

Ford Foundation will provide badges for all registered guests. Guests must wear their badge in a visible location.

Title: Reparatory Justice and Institutional Accountability: An Open and Candid Dialogue with the Church of England on Historical Injustices.
 
Date, time and time zone of side event: April 14^th, 15.00 EDT

Sponsoring organization(s) or entity/ies: Permanent Mission of Kenya to the United Nations in New York, Anglican Consultative Council, Permanent Mission of Barbados to the United Nations in New York (tbc)

Language(s) in which the side event will be held: English with Spanish and French interpretation

Description of the side event: a session to share and discuss diverse perspectives on reparatory justice in the context of institutions addressing historic links with African chattel enslavement, drawing from ongoing work through the Church of England. The Archbishop of York – the most senior clergy person in the Church of England – will speak alongside representatives of governments of peoples impacted by historic enslavement about the important journey of reparatory justice needed from institutions and the hoped-for future that could create. This event is an invitation for a greater variety of international perspectives to strengthen institutional responses across UN member states.

Location of the side event: UNHQ Conference Room4

Name and email address of the lead organizer (and permission to publish the lead organizer’s contact details): Martha Jarvis, martha.jarvis@anglicancommunion.org

Weblink for any further information: the Fund for Healing Justice and Repair |  The Anglican Communion |

Background: The Church Commissioners for England manage the historic endowment funds of the Church of England. Since 2019 they have been engaged in researching a historic investment in the South Sea Company, an organisation that transported enslaved Africans in horrifying conditions, and who were responsible for the deaths of thousands of individuals.

In January 2023, Church Commissioners for England released a research report which detailed shameful financial links between the endowment fund and African chattel enslavement.
As an initial response to the findings, the Church Commissioners pledged to:

• Invest in a better, fairer future that promotes human flourishing for historically marginalised and vulnerable groups, in particular communities impacted by historic African chattel enslavement creating a fairer future for all
• Inspire others to act
• Help deliver on the above by creating an in-perpetuity impact investment endowment fund that will grow over time, seeking to attract others to join or take similar investing action of their own so that the ultimate size of the fund endowment is materially larger and thereby seeks to make a lasting impact

The Church Commissioners’ Board allocated a sum of £100m to this response. They identified this sum knowing that no amount of money will ever be enough to repair the horrors of the past.

Critically, the Church Commissioners also committed to ensuring that the detailed stages of the response were designed by people with expert knowledge in understanding the legacy of African chattel enslavement, and the impact of this legacy on the world today. Accordingly, an independent Oversight Group was appointed, using an open and transparent process. The group was chaired by Bishop Rosemarie Mallett and has a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences, including from within descendant communities.

The Oversight Group made a set of recommendations which challenged the Church Commissioners to embark upon a meaningful process towards healing, repair, and justice, by addressing barriers to economic parity and quality of life for all who continue to be impacted by the legacy of African chattel enslavement.

The final report of their recommendations was published by the Oversight Group as an independent body in March 2024. Work is now underway to establish the new fund.

The Church of England, with humility, recognises that the current efforts to address these historic injustices are the beginning of a long, painful, and important process. The Church aims share its approach with the Forum and, in so doing, help shape the future work on institutional accountability and reparatory justice in a positive manner.

PERMANENT FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT
Online side event organized by Avvenire (italian newspaper) and Fraternità Haitiana onlus
Title of the side event 
Figli di Haiti

Date, time and time zone of side event 
April 14th / 22:00 GMT+1 (4 pm GMT-4 / NY)

Language(s) in which the side event will be held 
English

Description of the side event 
Lucia Capuzzi, journalist for Avvenire, presents "Figli di Haiti" (children of Haiti), a multiplatform narrative by the italian newspaper Avvenire that sheds light on the Island and its stories of hope, struggle, and resilience. Aimed at challenging the idea of Haiti as a "lost cause," doomed to an endless and invisible war, the narrative is accompanied by concrete actions: through the Avvenire Foundation, the newspaper Avvenire will support the "Maison des Anges" orphanage, offering children the opportunity to attend school. In some way, we are all children of this fragment of an island fighting for freedom and equality: an idea brought to life in Alessandro Galassi's docufilm "Figli di Haiti," which will be screened during the event, taking us inside the stories of those who, with courage and determination, are striving to shape a fairer future.

Location of the side event (or website for registration, for events held online)
Online, Microsoft Teams (connection link: https://tinyurl.com/bydypmud)

Name and email address of the lead organizer 
Lucia Capuzzi, Journalist for Avvenire
l.capuzzi@avvenire.it
Ilaria Santoro
i.santoro@avvenire.it
Avvenire give consent to publish the contact details of organizers.

Fecha: Lunes 14 de abril de 2025

Hora: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Hora NY

Lugar: Church Center for the United Nations 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, New
York 10017

Organizadores:
● Asociación de Mujeres Afrocolombianas AMUAFROC
● Articulación para los Decenios Afrodescendientes ALDA
● Baobab - Centro de Innovación en Justicia Étnico-Racial, de Género y Ambiental
● AfroResistance

Idiomas: Español con posible traducción a inglés.

Descripción:
En los últimos años los movimientos de pueblos afrodescendientes en la región de América Latina y el Caribe, han logrando mayor incidencia en la agenda internacional ambiental mostrando los impactos desproporcionados de las crisis ambientales en sus territorios y exigiendo participación real en la toma de decisiones para las medidas de superar estas crisis. En la COP16 a raíz de la movilización de movimientos de la región, y el liderazgo de la actual Vicepresidenta de Colombia, se logró el reconocimiento, del rol de los pueblos afrodescendientes en la protección de la biodiversidad y medidas para su participación (Decisión 16-6). En la agenda para la COP 30 sobre cambio climático se pretende visibilizar los impactos desproporcionados del cambio climático en sus territorios ancestrales y
asegurar acceso a financiamiento para mitigar los daños y pérdidas desde un enfoque de reparaciones históricas.

Las mujeres negras en América Latina desempeñan un papel crucial en la agenda de cambio climático, entre otras cosas por los impactos que han tenido en sus dinámicas territoriales, ya que son líderes y agentes de cambio en sus comunidades. Es necesario reconocer que su conocimiento ancestral sobre la tierra, la biodiversidad y la sostenibilidad ha jugado un papel prioritario para la adaptación y mitigación de los efectos del cambio
climático.

Asimismo, las mujeres negras suelen estar en la primera línea de la defensa de sus territorios, luchando contra la explotación de recursos naturales y promoviendo prácticas sostenibles; en este sentido la participación de las mujeres negras en la toma de decisiones, es fundamental para garantizar que las políticas climáticas sean inclusivas y equitativas, reflejando las necesidades y perspectivas de los pueblos afrodescendientes.

Objetivo: Facilitar un espacio de análisis y diálogo, sobre el papel de las mujeres negras, en la nueva agenda de afrodescendiente de la región sobre Cambio Climático, Declaración de Derecho de los pueblos afrodescendientes y Justicia racial.

Resultados
- Visibilizar experiencias de trabajo en territorios
- Mapeos, geolocalización de territorios afrodescendientes
- Levantar alerta sobre las situaciones en los territorios
- Solicitudes / demandas - gobiernos / Tomadores de decisiones

Temas de diálogo
- El rol ancestral de las mujeres negras en la conversación y preservación de la biodiversidad
- Violencia contra mujeres negras defensoras del territorio y la casa grande
- Racismo ambiental y derechos de las mujeres negras
- Justicia y reparaciones climáticas en territorios afrodescendientes - desplazamiento
- La agenda de inclusión y reconocimiento de los pueblos afrodescendientes en el CDB y CMNUCC

Ponentes propuestos
- Mariama Williams - Coalición afrodescendiente para justicia climática (EEUU/Colombia)
- AfroResistance:
- Collective Diasporas:
- Mijane Jiménez - Costa Chica (Mexico)
- Natalie Cook - AfroLeaders (Costa Rica)
- Comentarista: Esther Ojulari - Baobab / ALDA. (Colombia)
- Modera: Shari García, AMUAFROC (Colombia)

Contacto:
Dra. Esther Ojulari, BAOBAB. esther.ojulari@gmail.com , esther.ojulari@centrobaobab.org
Sra. Shari Garcia, AMUAFROC. coordinacion@amuafroc.org , amuafroc@gmail.com

Date: Monday, April 14th, 2025
Time: 6:30 om NY time
Location: Church Center for the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017

Organizers:
Association of Afro-Colombian Women AMUAFROC
Articulation for the Afro-Descendant Decades ALDA
Baobab - Center for Innovation in Ethnic-Racial, Gender, and Environmental Justice
AfroResistance

Languages: Spanish, could be translation to English

Description:
In recent years, Afro-descendant peoples' movements in Latin America and the Caribbean have achieved greater impact on the international environmental agenda by highlighting the disproportionate impacts of environmental crises in their territories and demanding real participation in decision-making for measures to overcome these crises. At COP16, as a result of the mobilization of regional movements and the leadership of the current Vice President of Colombia, recognition was achieved for the role of Afro-descendant peoples in the protection of biodiversity and measures for their participation (Decision 16-6). The COP30 agenda on climate change aims to highlight the disproportionate impacts of climate change on their ancestral territories and ensure access to financing to mitigate damage and loss from a historical reparations perspective.

Black women in Latin America play a crucial role in the climate change agenda, among other things due to the impacts they have had on their territorial dynamics, as they are leaders and agents of change in their communities. It is necessary to recognize that their ancestral knowledge of the land, biodiversity, and sustainability has played a priority role in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Likewise, Black women are often on the front lines of defending their territories, fighting against the exploitation of natural resources and promoting sustainable practices. In this sense, the participation of Black women in decision-making is essential to ensure that climate policies are inclusive and equitable, reflecting the needs and perspectives of peoples of African descent.

Objective: To facilitate a space for analysis and dialogue on the role of Black women in the region's new agenda for people of African descent on Climate Change, the Declaration of Rights of Peoples of African Descent, and Racial Justice.

Discussion Topics
- The ancestral role of Black women in the conversation and preservation of biodiversity
- Violence against Black women defenders of the territory and the Casa Grande
- Environmental racism and Black women's rights
- The agenda for the inclusion and recognition of peoples of African descent in the CBD and UNFCCC

Proposed speakers:
- Mariama Williams - Coalición afrodescendiente para justicia climática
(EEUU/Colombia)
- AfroResistance:
- Collective Diasporas:
- Mijane Jiménez - Costa Chica (Mexico)
- Natalie Cook - AfroLeaders (Costa Rica)
- Comentarista: Esther Ojulari - Baobab / ALDA. (Colombia)
- Modera: Shari García, AMUAFROC (Colombia)

Contacts:
Dra. Esther Ojulari, BAOBAB. esther.ojulari@gmail.com , esther.ojulari@centrobaobab.org
Sra. Shari Garcia, AMUAFROC. coordinacion@amuafroc.org , amuafroc@gmail.com

Title of the side event: REPARATIONS STRATEGY SESSION 
Reparations Panel of Experts– Guided Discussion based on past, present, & future reparation scenarios

Date, time and time zone of side event: Monday, April 14, 2025, | 7:00 pm -9:00 pm (ET- New York)

Sponsoring organization(s) or entity/ies:
International Civil Society Working Group (ICSWG) 
 
Language(s) in which the side event will be held
English

Description of the side event (no more than 100 words): This Guided Discussion panel utilizes an innovative format to maximize participation, engaging panelists and the audience through immersive, thought-provoking scenarios on reparations: the future achieved, the historical struggle, and the present opportunity. Panelists will respond based on their expertise, providing practical insights and visionary guidance, fostering dynamic cross-dialogue, and inspiring strategic and visionary thinking. The objective is to draw direct correlations between past, present, and future efforts, catalyze transformative strategies, and connect diverse perspectives to advance reparatory justice. Actionable step: Implement this model to deepen collaboration and inform reparations-focused frameworks and decision-making.

Location of the side event (or website for registration, for events held online). For
online events, kindly ensure to send the connection link to facilitate participants’
access. VIRTUAL ONLY via Zoom Webinar - Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oL3uxnJIRaiNICP_Vwf2Dg#/registration
 
Name and email address of the lead organizer (and permission to publish the lead
organizer’s contact details)
Submitted by: ICSWG Programs Co-lead Prophet N. Anyanwu Cox, R.N (MO)., M.Ed.,
Email: anyanwu1950@gmail.com | Permission to publish given

PANELISTS - Rev. Robert Turner – activist faith leader
Robin Rue Simmons – former city alderman implementing reparations in city
Dr. Cheryl Grills – former member of state-wide reparations Task Force
Nicole Carty – student and youth organizer for reparations
Kamm Howard – activist in global reparations movement
JAM Aiwuyor – communications and narrative change specialist
Kennis Henry – leader of long-standing national reparations coalition
Daniel Stein – diasporic perspective on reparations
Eric Philips – Guyana CARICOM representative
Moderator – Nkechi Taifa, Esq.