Reparations

By Cecilia Ologunagba

The fourth session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent has opened at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The session is focusing on the challenges of reparations and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the development of people of African descent.

The week-long event is organised by the UN Human Rights Office and runs under the theme: “Africa and People of African Descent: United for Reparatory Justice in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

The forum aims to amplify global calls for reparations addressing the historical legacies of enslavement and colonialism.

“Let us recommit to ending racism everywhere, in all its forms in defence of the dignity and equality of every human being,” said Philemon Yang, President of the UN General Assembly, during his opening remarks.

In a message delivered by his Chef de Cabinet, Courtenay Rattray, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the importance of frameworks for reparatory justice grounded in international human rights law.

He noted that colonialism, enslavement, apartheid, and genocide had long impeded the development of African nations and the human rights of people of African descent.

The first panel on Tuesday will focus on addressing the continuing consequences of these historical injustices as a critical and urgent global priority.

The second panel will explore how racism and sexism intersect, creating compounded forms of discrimination, particularly affecting women and girls of African descent.

“Women and adolescent girls of African descent are at a much higher risk of maternal mortality and adolescent pregnancy,” said Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), speaking at the opening ceremony.

She added that the agency was actively addressing disparities in reproductive health.

The third panel, scheduled for Wednesday, will examine human rights-based policymaking tools aimed at promoting equality and tackling institutional racism, particularly where it is embedded in laws and policies.

“We must continue to address racism in all its forms, particularly where it is embedded in laws, policies, and institutions,” Guterres emphasised.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), while a powerful tool in modern society, has also raised serious concerns about racial bias.

The forum highlighted how AI systems often misrepresent or underrepresent people of African descent due to skewed datasets perpetuating stereotypes and deepening inequality.

In a video message, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk denounced “algorithmic bias” and called for solidarity.

“Solutions to our greatest challenges lie in more unity and greater respect for human rights, not less,” he said.

The fourth panel, also on Wednesday, will delve into AI’s dual role as both a means of advancing digital justice and a potential driver of systemic discrimination.

The closing event on Thursday will commemorate the bicentennial of Haiti’s “independence debt”—a forced payment of 150 million gold francs to France after Haiti’s 1804 independence.

This debt burden, with lasting interest obligations, entrenched poverty and hindered Haiti’s development, serving as a stark reminder of colonial exploitation and its lasting legacy.

The forum also marks the end of the First International Decade for People of African Descent, providing an opportunity to reflect on Haiti’s current crisis.

It also aims to ensure Haiti’s inclusion in the Second International Decade, which focuses on continuing the push for justice, recognition, and development. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru