WORLD SUMMIT FOR PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT 18-21 August 2011 Honduras

1. INTRODUCTION

African and Afro-descendant population worldwide is estimated at more than 1.000 million [1] or about 15 percent of the population. Of this population, 840 million live in Africa, nearly 200 million in the Americas, 10 million in the European Union, and it is estimated that more than 300,000 Afro-descendants live in Asia and the Pacific. An unknown number of Afro-descendants live in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union, where there are old people, remnants of the slave trade, who settled in the Black Sea coast, and a large part of the 400,000 students, and their descendants who remained in Russia after the Soviet attend universities after the independence of African countries in the 1960's. Other significant populations of African descent living in the Middle East.

Globally, the Afro-descendant faces serious poverty and extreme poverty as a result of marginalization and exclusion, intolerance and growing problems related to their status as race or ethnicity, and immigration status in the industrialized countries of Europe, and the United States. In recent years, and as a result of financial crises in developed countries, anti-immigrant sentiments have risen to unprecedented levels, and in some cases has led to racial hatred and murder against people of African descent, especially in Europe, according to a report of Congressman Alcee L. Hasings the State of Florida, USA

Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, countries have made some progress in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. This has resulted in the enactment of national and international laws and the implementation of mechanisms to advance human rights, particularly notable being the adoption of the treaty to ban racial discrimination. In September 2001, held the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa, whose testimony filled with hope to the African descendants around the world.

However, in 2010, discrimination and intolerance continue in force in our societies, where people of African descent are overrepresented among the most excluded, discriminated and poor. This situation of marginalization and exclusion, and the weakening of the social movement of African descent become major impediments for African descent populations benefiting from the investments and efforts to combat extreme poverty, as part of fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

In the absence of affirmative action policies and programs that promote a differentiated position, the development gaps between these populations and the rest of the poor countries could increase. In this context, in March 2010, the General Assembly of the United Nations agreed to proclaim 2011 as International Year for People of African Descent.

2. THE MILLENNIUM SUMMIT

As part of the commemoration of International Year for People of African Descent, in 2011, proclaimed by the United Nations, the Ethnic Community Development Organization (ODECO) of Honduras proposes the creation of a "World Summit for People of African Descent" bringing together representatives of governments, cooperation agencies and its specialized agencies, including multilateral banks, bilateral cooperation agencies, private sector corporations with interests or operations in black communities, civil society and social movement organizations Afro-American worldwide.

The main purpose of this summit would be to exploit the unique opportunity presented by this proclamation to make a critical analysis to assess the conditions of the populations of People of African descent, achievements based on the implementation of international treaties, and not least, an analysis of the social status of the Afro-descendant ten years after the Durban conference. Similarly, the proposed analysis would lead to the establishment of an agreed set of strategies, plans and actions that result in establishing the foundations for sustainable development, with equity and identity "of Afro-descendant populations in the short, medium and long term.

This activity is consistent with the text of Resolution 64/69 2011 "International Year of Afro-descendants when notes:

• The Organization of the United Nations, through Resolution 64/69 proclaims the year commencing on 1 January 2011 the International Year for People of African descent in order to strengthen the national, regional and international cooperation for the benefit of African descendants regarding the full enjoyment of their economic, cultural, social, civil and political participation and integration in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and promoting greater understanding and respect for diversity of their heritage and culture.

• Tightens the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone has all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction.

• Remembering the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other relevant international instruments on human rights.

• Remembering also the relevant provisions contained in the documents of all major conferences and summits of the United Nations, in particular the Declaration and Programme of Action.

• The African Descendant Communities and towns continue to face higher levels of poverty, exclusion, racism and discrimination, so that 2011 will be an auspicious year for raising awareness campaigns to all citizens, but especially the main political and economic control states and governments.

• States, governments, multilateral agencies should assume a leading role responsibly to accompany the comprehensive development with equity and identity of communities and populations of African descent.

3. THEMES

The themes of the Summit will aim to promote comprehensive and sustainable development, with equity and identity, of Afro-descendants worldwide. The topics will be addressed through keynote presentations, workshops on various issues and agreements leading to the implementation of concrete actions for the benefit of populations. Topics include:

• Participation and democratic political, economic, social, cultural - academic and environmental equity and identity of communities and populations of African descent.

• Environmental determinants of health.

• Lands, territories, natural resources management, environment and climate change, clean energy.

• Social movements, organization of communities and populations of African descent.

• Institutional • Strengthening the Communities of African Descent Populations and Organizations.

• Links political, economic, social, religious, cultural - scholars from Africa and the diaspora of African Descent.

• Compliance with the Millennium Development Goals for Communities and People of African Descent. Presentation of progress and challenges in a sample of countries.

• Compliance Declaration and Programme of Action for Communities and People of African Descent.

• Presence and participation decisions of men, women and youth of African descent in political parties, donor agencies, multilaterals and governments.

• Present and future of childhood, adolescence Afrodescents Youth. Access for communities, peoples and Afro-descendant organizations to technical, economic and financial cooperation.

• Policies that encourage public participation and promoted fairly comprehensive sustainable development with identity of Afro-descendant communities and populations.

• Process of surveys, identification and self-identification of African descent in Latin America.

• Commitment minimum of governments, and multilateral cooperation agencies to ensure technical, economic and financial development in the long run to promote the integral development with equity and identity of communities, peoples and Afro-descendant organizations.

• Opportunities economic, migration and human trafficking, drug trafficking and organized crime in Afro-descendant communities.

4. GEOGRAPHIC AREAS

For purposes of the logistics of organizing the Summit, participants were divided into various geographic regions including:

Region I: The Americas, North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States) Central America (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama), South America: Andean Region (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana), Southern Cone (Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile) Caribbean Countries.

Region II: European Union, Turkey, countries of the former Soviet Union, including Russia, Georgia and Abkhazia.

Region III: Countries of Africa and the Middle East which have a recognized African-American population.

Region IV: Asia and the Pacific including China, India, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Australia.

5. PARTICIPANTS

The summit is aimed at different sectors involved in economic development activities both at home and the international order. These include government agencies with responsibility for policy development, planning and / or implementation of programs with people of African descent, public international organizations including the Organization of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, African Union, the European Union and other regional bodies, including their respective specialized agencies, multilateral banks, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Asia Development Bank and African Development Bank.

On the other hand, it is pointing to bilateral agencies such as USAID, DFID, GTZ, SDC, NORAD, CIDA, JICA, etc., Private foundations including the Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WK Kellogg, Rockefeller, John D. & Catherine T. Mc Arthur, Seattle; other public organizations as the Inter-American Foundation, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) descent, or serving people of African descent, community-based organizations, and private sector corporations that are interested or manage operations in territories African descent .

6. EXECUTING ORGANIZATION

The organization of the Summit is an initiative of the Ethnic Community Development Organization (ODECO), who became his main executioner. ODECO born in the city of La Ceiba, Honduras, January 25, 1992 to fight for the development of Afro-Honduran communities and help build a profile of dignity of women and men of African descent in Honduras . ODECO is a private, nonprofit development, with legal # 072-94, composed of men and Afro-Honduran women who struggle to promote the integral development of the Afro-Honduran population. ODECO was formed to meet the needs of the black population of Honduras (Garifuna, Creole-speaking or English-and colonial) population marginalized and excluded from development plans and processes of the country.

ODECO Mission is to reduce the violation of economic, social, political, cultural and state except to the Communities and Afro-Honduran populations, Advocacy, awareness, awareness, training and advocacy of human rights. Its vision is to be a Honduran NGO, nonprofit, comprising women and men of African descent fighting for the development of their communities and populations by advocating for the defense of their economic, social, political and cultural towards the systematic reduction of marginalization, invisibility and exclusion from development processes of the country, with the conviction in alliances, while respecting cultural diversity and solidarity among peoples. "

The justification for ODECO is the executor of the proposed Summit is the successful organization of similar events before and after the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance held in Durban, South Africa. These include but are not limited to:

• The 1st. National Solidarity Conference. August 15, 2000, an event held in the city of Tegucigalpa, as a preamble to the Regional Conference of the Americas and the Third World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Santiago de Chile and Durban , South Africa. This first conference was organized by the ODECO, with support from the Government of Honduras, the Program for the Development UNDP United Nations, the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation AECI,

• Continental Development Second Summit of the European and African American populations. 25, 26 and November 27, 2000, an event held in La Ceiba, Honduras. Whose results constituted important inputs for Afrocentroamericanas delegations represented in Santiago de Chile and Durban South Africa, the Continental Summit was organized by the ODECO, together with the Organización Negra Centroamericana ONECA and counted with the support of the Programme for United Nations Development UNDP.

• The First Regional Seminar on Afro-descendants in the Americas was held in La Ceiba, Honduras from 21 to 24 March 2002. The seminar was organized by the Working Group on Minorities and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in cooperation with the ODECO. Forty-seven representatives of African descent from 19 countries participated in the seminar. Also represented were the International Law Group for Human Rights and the Interamerican Institute of Human Rights.

• Workshop on Leadership Training and Socioeconomic Development of Afro-descendant communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in the city of La Ceiba, Honduras, from 1 to 4 February 2004, organized by the Inter-American Dialogue Inter-American Foundation and Ethnic Community Development Organization ODECO.

• II National Solidarity Conference, held in Tegucigalpa on March 19, 2009, with three main objectives: to assess compliance with the Declaration and Programme of Action, assessment of compliance with the Millennium Development Goals and Indigenous Peoples Afro-Honduran Campaign Commitment signed by the five presidential candidates to make visible and promote the integral development of indigenous peoples and Afro-Honduran. It had the support of UNDP, Danish Embassy, Ford Foundation, Inter-American Foundation, ICCO - Netherlands, Ministry of Interior and Justice, UNICEF, Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Honduras, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation AECI.

• During 2010, intense advocacy, workshops, seminars, consultations, meetings at the national and international governmental, and civil society cooperation, building partnerships for the creation and functioning of the Secretariat for Development Indigenous and Afro-Honduran and SEDINAFROPIR Racial Equality Policies, as well as the President meets with campaign pledges signed on March 19, 2009.

8. EXPECTED RESULTS

The minimum expected outcomes of the Summit include: i) to document important aspects considered central to the causes of poverty prevalent among Afro-descendant populations around the world, ii) knowledge, consensus among all stakeholders-governments, international cooperation, civil society and community representatives "of the living conditions of Afro-descendant populations and the gaps between these populations and other poor people in their respective countries, especially related to meeting the Millennium Development Goals [2]; iii) establishment of specific commitments, including the creation of strategies and allocation of financial resources-that create a platform for the sustainable development of Afro-descendant populations in the short, medium and long term to close the persistent development gaps.

9. PROGRESS TO DATE

As a result of advocacy tour in Washington, DC, under the leadership of the Ethnic Community Development Organization (ODECO), is in talks with various institutional partners who have expressed interest and promised to support the preparation of the summit, after submitting a project proposal. The implementation of this initiative, however, requires the active participation of the Government of Honduras through various entities, including the Office of Ethnic Affairs Minister, Commissioner, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras Embassy in Washington, DC and the Chief Executive to Executive Offices of Honduras at the World Bank and the IDB, Dr. Luis Cozens and Mr. Marlon Tabora, respectively.

The organizations visited in Washington, and the respective contacts include: World Bank, where contacts include Mr. Enrique Pantoja and Ken Rapp, in coordination with Dr. Luis Cozens and the Country Office in Honduras, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB ) with Andrew Morrison and Judith Morrison, in coordination with Mr. Marlon Tabora and officers of the Representation in Honduras-Sr. Manzi and Ms. Patricia Falck, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Dr. Marjke Balzebour-Salcedo Diversity Unit, in coordination with PAHO Representation in Honduras, and the U.S. State Department. 

UU., Gregory DiMaggio Human Rights Department.