As a global society, we are only as far ahead as those we push furthest behind.
Our collective future depends on advancing together, including by ending racism and all other forms of bias and discrimination.
Ten years of activism during the International Decade for People of African Descent yielded some important progress for Afrodescendent people. Critical reforms for inclusion and justice in education, healthcare and policing have led countries to implement affirmative action policies and pass laws against racial discrimination. Increased investments in data – including data to capture intersectional identities – are supporting governments and healthcare providers to better meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of women of all races, ethnicities and abilities.
Yet there is a long road ahead.
For ethnic and racial minorities, racist legacies of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade still limit access to education, employment and health services, jeopardizing the health and futures of individuals and entire societies.
Women and girls of ethnic and racial minorities are among the world’s most marginalized people, as racism and sexism deny rights to health, empowerment and autonomy.
Across the Americas and beyond, where data are collected, Afrodescendent women are more likely to die during childbirth due to medical neglect and mistreatment, with sexual and reproductive healthcare still reflecting unscientific and racist beliefs.
People of African descent are more likely to experience disability compared with white adults; discrimination based on disability, race and gender means that Afrodescendant women with disabilities are even more susceptible to poor health outcomes and violence.
Meanwhile, poor health among women and girls of African descent remains invisible in many countries, as data disaggregated by race are mostly not available.
As we embark on the Second International Decade for People of African Descent and mark the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, we must build on the powerful activism that has highlighted contributions of Afrodescendent-led movements towards equality, peace and prosperity.
In honour of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this year, let us reaffirm our commitment to end all forms of inequality, racism and discrimination – and to deliver recognition, justice and development for people of African descent.
