Angolan Secretary of State strongly condemns racial segregation at the UN

Esmeralda Mendonça, present in New York at UN headquarters, where the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action Against Racism is commemorated, stressed that Angola "strongly condemns racial segregation and undertakes to adopt appropriate means for a policy of racial elimination in all forms, combating racial discrimination and promoting understanding among all races".

The official mentioned the Execution Plan of the National Human Rights Strategy 2020-2022 as one of the bases for defending equality and said that the country "has adopted policies to strengthen its institutions with a view to mitigating trends in racial discrimination".

Among the commitments underlined by Esmeralda Mendonça is that of Angola "intensifying efforts to eliminate all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", in cooperation with all human rights bodies of the United Nations to the implementation of the recommendations of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action.

Adopted in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, the Declaration and Program of Action Against Racism constitute, in the Secretary of State's view, a "historic instrument" and one of "the most important international milestones for combating institutional and structural racism ".

Esmeralda Mendonça praised the "broad and diverse international consensus and of Afro-descendant leaderships", as well as the International Decade for Afro-descendant Peoples (2015 to 2024) and the creation of the Permanent Forum on Afro-descendant Peoples within the UN.

The Secretary of State's declaration was also a reaffirmation of the national commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2063 Agenda of the African Union.