At Meeting of Afro-Andean representatives
Creation of Working Committee of African descendents in the CAN and anti-discrimination actions proposed
 
Lima, May 26, 2008.- Representatives of communities of African descendants in the Andean Community proposed the creation of a Working Committee of African descendants in the subregion and a series of actions in three areas: the fight against racism; social, political and cultural; and the environment.

The proposals are part of the Declaration of the Palenque de San José and of the Plan of Activities approved last Friday night at the conclusion of the Seminar-Workshop of Representatives of Communities of African Descendants.  This meeting, held in Lima from Wednesday through Friday of last week, brought together the leaders and authorities of communities of African descendants in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as in other Latin American countries.   

The representatives of the communities of African descendants, in a press release, called upon the people of the Andean Community and their leaders to deepen and hasten the process of Andean and Latin American integration.   “Only by uniting can we defend our rights and protect nature in order to guarantee a good life for all,” they stressed. 

The Working Committee of African descendants is intended, they say, to reinforce the dialogue between peoples of African descent and the States; boost public policy and promote economic, social, political and cultural inclusion that will facilitate the participation by women in the Andean region in local, national and subregional decisions.   

The Plan of Activities proposes the creation of an Andean observatory on racism; the preparation of a comparative study of legislation, treaties and other international instruments embodied in public Afro policy in the Andean region; the demand that governments implement development plans for peoples of African descent, providing the necessary funds for that purpose; and the consideration among the Millennium Development Goals of variables of racism and discrimination, among others. 

Also proposed are the inclusion of Afro issues in the Andean Social Charter and the CAN Human Rights Charter; the strengthening of the participation and representation of African descendants in the CAN; and the promotion of public policy formulation and evaluation workshops, among other things.   

At the close of the seminar – workshop, Ernesto Estupiñán, Mayor of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, was decorated in recognition of his defense of the rights of African descendants. 

The seminar-workshop was organized by the CAN General Secretariat with the assistance of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).