- Reaffirms our support for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all peoples, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- Supports the work of the expert mechanism as an integral part of furthering the Sustainable Development Goals, with emphasis on SDG 10 Reducing Inequalities and SDG 16 Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions;
- Supports the close collaboration with Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent and the Special Rapporteur to address contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;
- Acknowledges the October 5, 2023 Human Rights Council report on the Promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers through transformative change for racial justice and equality;
- Welcomes, as included in the October 5th report, the Expert Mechanisms’ visit from 24 April to 5 May 2023, to Washington D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York City, where it met with representatives of civil society, victims and survivors of excessive use of force in policing, and federal, State and local officials, including from law enforcement, city administrations, judicial actors, police unions and affinity groups;
- Acknowledges the United Nations and regional experts findings of insufficient participation of people of African descent, including women, in political and public life;
- Acknowledges the United Nations and regional experts concerns about the disproportionate impact on people of African descent of measures and practices that restrict the exercise of the right to vote;
- Acknowledges the OHCHR reports on alleged human rights violations by law enforcement officials in the context of peaceful antiracism protests;
- Emphasizes the UN investigations into alleged misuse of the judicial system against community leaders and human rights defenders of African descent for protesting and collective defense of the territory and the environment;
- Acknowledges the findings of surveillance, harassment, intimidation, arrest and violence against civil society actors of African descent have a chilling effect on meaningful, inclusive and safe participation;
- Acknowledges the United Nations concerns regarding discriminatory treatment in US policy that has led to disparate impact of migration policies on African migrants and migrants of African descent as well as on refugees and asylum-seekers;
- Acknowledges the United Nations concerns of persistent and disproportionate impact on Africans and people of African descent of use-of-force violations by law enforcement officials, of racial profiling.
Hereby Resolves to:
- Support the findings and recommendations as published in the October 5, Human Rights Council Report;
- Call on the legislatures of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia to: boost the power of civilian oversight mechanisms; support the rehabilitation of victims and survivors [of police violence]; and replace the existing criminal justice response with a human rights-centered response to poverty, homelessness, substance abuse and mental illness;
- Further call on Congress to fully fund the Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights in order to continue to investigate and address systemic issues of police abuse and discrimination against people of African descent and other marginalized communities;
- Further call on the United States to continue consultation with civil society and the Expert Mechanism in order to reform criminal justice policy towards a human rights-based approach;
- Further support the Mechanisms’ call for federal standards of policing, federal criminal investigations into cases of excessive use of force by law enforcement and whole-of-government reforms to redefine the mission and scope of the police;
- Further support increasing the opportunities at the United Nations for people of African descent to expose challenges and propose solutions;
- Further call on the U.S. to support a second International Decade for People of African Descent starting in 2025.
