Nine Latin American and Caribbean countries adopt the ‘San José Commitment’ on the rights of people of African descent

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – This Friday, representatives of nine governments in Latin America and the Caribbean adopted a declaration to accelerate the fulfilment of the rights of people of African descent in the region.

The ‘San José Commitment’ was welcomed by Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela, at the end of the high-level meeting on ‘Accelerating global action for the fulfilment of the rights of people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean’, organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Office of the First Vice-President of the Republic of Costa Rica.

Leaders of organized civil society and academia from 26 countries around the world also participated in the meeting and contributed to building the commitment.

The declaration includes 14 priority actions to eliminate inequality gaps and to make progress with implementing the International Decade for People of African Descent and the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development.

The most important actions include the design and implementation of national and local plans and programmes that address education, health, employment, housing and development issues affecting people of African descent.

The countries also undertake to redouble their efforts on behalf of children and young people in order to guarantee the recognition of their human rights, their cultural identity and their participation, as well as the implementation of measures that will enable them to enjoy the right to a life free of violence, to education, to decent work and to the necessary services that will guarantee their physical, sexual and mental health and well-being.

In addition, they will promote national development policies and strategies with a gender and intergenerational perspective that will make it possible to address the specific needs of women of African descent, such as access to sexual and reproductive health.

About UNFPA

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
The First Vice-President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell Barr, said that the San José Commitment “constitutes a fraternal road map”.

“To work with the excluded sectors and with populations that have been made vulnerable is to work in favour of economic growth, well-being and happiness,” she said.

“Costa Rica has been extremely proud to welcome, over four days, more than 200 guests from 26 countries, for this meeting, which concludes today with the adoption of immediate measures to eliminate inequality and to advance decisively for the development of the population of African descent across the entire region,” she added.

The UNFPA Regional Director, Harold Robinson Davis, said the San José Commitment will be presented at the Nairobi Summit in November.

“We will support governments in their efforts to mainstream the agenda for people of African descent and align it with regional commitments, such as the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, and international commitments such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We will continue to work with organized civil society, especially with young people of African descent in their advocacy strategies,” said Robinson Davis. 

Populations of African descent

Latin America and the Caribbean is a region of rich racial and ethnic diversity, home to approximately 200 million people of African descent. However, a significant group of these people, especially children, young people and women, face serious inequalities in their access to education, employment, housing and health, which translates into high infant mortality rates and disparity in life expectancy, and affects their full realization and enjoyment of their rights.

The regional meeting

The Consultation Forum and the high-level meeting on ‘Accelerating global action for the fulfilment of the rights of people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean’, which took place from 15 to 18 October in San José, provided a platform to identify the progress and challenges in the region in terms of implementing the International Decade for People of African Descent and other international instruments, as well as recommendations and commitments that will enable progress to be made on actions to be launched during the second five-year period.

All activities are organized by UNFPA, by mandate of the Secretary-General, in coordination with the Office of the First Vice-President of the Republic of Costa Rica.

About UNFPA

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.