The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights is an international non-governmental human rights organization. We work side-by-side with local activists in Latin America to promote and protect the human rights of populations that face marginalization due to their national or ethnic origin, their sexual orientation, or their gender identity. Alongside other actors in the Afro-Latinx movement, Race & Equality has been at the forefront in the drafting and adoption of the Inter-American Convention against Racism and has extensive experience in providing technical assistance to Afro-descendant organizations to help them effectively advocate before the OAS.
As part of our work during the International Decade for People of African Descent (2014-2024), Race and Equality seeks to promote the ratification and implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Racism. To this end, we have launched this campaign entitled “Towards A Region Free From Racism” to achieve universal ratification and implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Racism by 2024.
The UN General Assembly, in declaring 2015-2024 as the International Decade for People of African Descent, highlighted as one of its objectives “to adopt and strengthen national, regional and international legal frameworks in accordance with the Durban Declaration and Program of Action, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and ensure its full and effective implementation.”
In this context, the OAS General Assembly approved the Plan of Action for the Decade for People of African Descent in the Americas (2016-2025), which includes among its objectives “to create a campaign to the signing, ratification and implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance and of the Inter-American Convention against all Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance.”
