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Welcome to the draft programme of work for the fourth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

This page provides detailed information about the main sessions and side events, including times, locations, and speakers

For any questions or further information, please feel free to contact the Permanent Forum Secretariat at pfpad@un.org


Type: Side event clear filter
Saturday, April 12
 

11:00am EDT

Reparatory Justice for Afrodescendants (descendants of enslaved Africans
Saturday April 12, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Title of the side event
Reparatory Justice for Afrodescendants (descendants of enslaved Africans) 

Date, time and time zone of side event
Saturday April 12, 2025, at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST

Sponsoring organization(s) or entity/ies
All for Reparations and Emancipation (AFRE); Afrodescendant Nation (ADN)

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

Description of the side event
This event explores the lasting impact of slavery on identity and the need for its restoration among the descendants of enslaved Africans. Enslavers stripped Africans of their names, languages, and cultural ties to enforce control and suppress resistance. This erasure disrupted unity, self-worth, heritage, and generational connections.
Reclaiming our global identity as Afrodescendants is essential for rebuilding a shared sense of belonging, pride, and purpose. By embracing this identity, we can foster unity and work toward self-determination. Join us in this critical conversation on reclaiming identity and collective action towards reparatory justice.

Location of the side event (or website for registration, for events held online).
Zoom Webinar registration link below

For online events, kindly ensure to send the connection link to facilitate participants’ access.
 https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L5XcNG0hTAmCw9QOvVXE0g

Name and email address of the lead organizer (and permission to publish the lead organizer’s contact details)
Ishmael Abdul-Salaam, Lead Organizer
CEO, All for Reparations and Emancipation (AFRE)
Email: ishmael.abdulsalaam@gmail.com

Weblink for any further information
https://www.allforreparations.com/
Saturday April 12, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Online
 
Monday, April 14
 

1:00pm EDT

The Appropriate use of "Slavery" and "The Slave Trade" throughout the United Nations Anti-Racism mechanisms regarding reparations
Monday April 14, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
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
Monday April 14, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Suite #120 - 866 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017 Suite #120 - 866 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017
 
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