Cuban President Diaz-Canel received representatives from 18 countries attending the International Conference on the Decade for People of African Descent. [Photo: Minister of Foreign Relations]
Delegates representing organizations from around the world gathered in Cuba for the conference “Cuba 2024 Decade for People of African Descent.” The following declaration was produced and approved at the culmination of the conference.
From December 9th to the 13th, the 240 delegates, coming from 30 nations from four continents, gathered for the International Conference “Cuba 2024 Decade for People of African Descent. Equality - Equity - Social Justice”, that took place in the cities of Havana and Matanzas.
Attended by 103 delegates from Cuba and 137 from the following geographical áreas:
From the Americas: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, United States, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama.
From the African continent: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Comoros, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Togo and Kenya.
From Europe: Asia and Oceania: Spain, Finland, Laos, Syria and Sri Lanka.
The participants, activists, representatives of civil society organisations and governments, academics, students, artists and intellectuals that make up these delegations, through this declaration, wish to EXPRESS:
1. OUR SATISFACTION with the intense and valuable exchange on the confrontation and prevention of racism and racial discrimination in all its forms and manifestations, the valuable role of the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent, the need to strengthen efforts to make further progress in building more just and inclusive societies for all, the role of public policies and social activism against racism and racial discrimination, as well as the need to preserve and promote the identities, historical memory, cultural heritage and rights of people of African descent.
2. WE THANK the Cuban authorities for convening this International Conference, as well as for the information on the progress, contributions and challenges of the National Program against Racism and Racial Discrimination Color Cubano, and recognize the positive results achieved despite the difficult situation the country is facing as a result of the application of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba, with extraterritorial and universal effects.
3. REAFFIRM the need to continue these exchanges in order to contribute to the search for solutions based on respect for all human rights and express our deep concern and rejection of the situation faced by people of African descent in many countries whose human rights are violated or not protected.
4. WE ARE CONCERNED that, despite the progress made, the objectives of the International Decade for People of African Descent, which is coming to an end, have not been fully achieved. In this regard, we support the efforts of several countries and organizations to influence the United Nations to declare a second Decade.
5. EMPHASIZE the need to adopt policies at a global level aimed at reducing the gap between rich and poor countries, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting cooperation and dialogue, and fostering the conditions for further progress in the promotion and protection of the human rights of people of African descent, based on the objectives contained in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which remain in full force and effect.
6. REAFFIRM the commitment to respect, make visible and defend the extraordinary contribution of African cultures to our societies, the teaching of African history, the knowledge of the Diaspora and the need to network specialized museums for the preservation and reparation of historical memory.
7. REAFFIRM the need for the immediate adoption of measures aimed at the historical reparation of peoples and persons of African descent for the horrors of slavery and, the transatlantic slave trade, and the subsequent discrimination and segregation.
8. EMPHASIZE the crucial role of educational institutions in anti racist education from the earliest stages of life, as well as the need to prepare new generations to confront social inequalities and the influence of global systems of domination as a means of building more just and inclusive societies.
9. REAFFIRM our recognition and gratitude to Cuba for its decisive ontribution to the end of apartheid, to the liberation of several African nations from colonialism and to the economic and social development of many African countries, particularly in the fields of health, education and sports, as well as for Cuba's leadership in supporting international efforts against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
10. We REAFFIRM the value of this meeting as an exercise of solidarity in defense of just causes. We condemn the genocide and thnocide perpetrated against the Palestinian people and demand an end to the blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States of America. We also demand the removal of this sisterly and heroic nation from the illegal, unilateral and immoral list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism.
11. WELCOME the initiative of the Government of Togo, in collaboration with the African Union, to organize the IXth Pan African Congress in Lomé in the year 2025.
12. THANK the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for its effective collaboration in the organization and holding of this Conference, as well as for its unconditional support to the National Program against Racism and Racial Discrimination of Cuban Color.
13. WE ACCEPT as our own the Final Declaration of the Forum on Advances and Challenges in the Fight against Racism and Racial Discrimination from the Perspective of Civil Society, organized and directed by the Cuban Association of the United Nations (ACNU) and held on December 8, as a pre-conference activity.
14. REAFFIRM the need to continue exchanging views on these issues of vital importance to humanity and, consequently, support the convening of the Executive Coordinating Group of the National Program against Racism and Racial Discrimination Color Cubano to the International Conference "Cuba 2026. Thought and Action against Racism”, to be held on March 21, 2026, in commemoration of the World Day against All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
By the unanimous vote of the delegates to this Conference, WE APPROVE this Declaration at the National Capitol of the Republic of Cuba, in Havana, Cuba, this 13th day of the month of December 2024.
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