United Nations Proclaim a Second International Decade for People of African Descent 2025-35

APN-PAD is immensely joyful to announce to the public, its stakeholders, civil societies, community leaders across the Asia Pacific Region the Proclamation by the United Nations of a Second United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent 2025-2035.

APN-PAD would like to express its gratitude to all member states for supporting the General Assembly resolution creating the Second International Decade for People of African Descent on 17th of December 2024. We urge states in the Asia Pacific region to embrace the program of activities of the second decade and go beyond a vote to proclaim the Second International Decade to engage with community leaders, civil society organisations, communities of People of African Descent to implement meaningful change with respect to the themes of the Second Decade: recognition, justice and development of People of African Descent.

APN-PAD has been advocating for the proclamation of the Second International Decade through a regional program of advocacy and recognition of the presence, challenges and contributions of People of African Descent in the Asia Pacific region.

APN-PAD's participation and strategic contributions to the first ever United Nations Asia Pacific Meeting on People of African Descent in the context of the program of activities of the First International Decade were a great success. It included active participation and contributions in the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent PFPAD, collaboration with the UN Working Group of Experts for People of African Descent WGEPAD, ongoing collaboration with Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in organizing the landmark Asia Pacific Subregional Consultations on the Human Rights Situation of People of African Descent, recommendation to the UN Secretary General on the need for a Second Decade from an Asia Pacific perspective, participation and contribution at the High-level United Nations Meeting at the Closure of the First International Decade for People of African Descent New York, and grass roots advocacy work raising awareness on the existence of the First Decade, UN human right instruments and mechanisms, and building a regional network of transnational civil society organisations and community leaders of People of African Descent from Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Türkiye, and Thailand. These in no small measure contributed to raise the voice, tell the stories , and bring recognition to the presence, challenges, and contributions of People of African Descent in the Asia Pacific and the support of the member states in the region in proclamation of the Second International Decade.

APN-PAD see this Second International Decade as an opportunity to expand the space for diversity, inclusion, equality and multiculturalism across the region through events, activities and projects that tell the stories of People of African Descent in the region, create a functional strategic regional hub of civil societies of African Descent to engage on the transnational human rights, social, and economic challenges, as well as raise transnational awareness on their contributions.

APN-PAD is committed to ensure a sustained presence and participation on all regional and international mechanisms of the Second International Decade to ensure that the Asia Pacific's voice is heard.