Around 200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent live in the Americas, and millions more live in other parts of the world outside the African continent. The international community, in recognition that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected, has proclaimed 2015-2024 International Decade for People of African Descent.

In a joint statement issued to commemorate International Migrants’ Day, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and International Labour Organization Director Guy Ryder called on States to recognize that true sustainable development can only be achieved by ensuring that human rights and labour rights form the cornerstone of fair migration policies.

States should protect people from undue levels of commercial advertising and marketing while increasing the space for not-for-profit expressions, the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights says. Farida Shaheed made this recommendation in a presentation of a report at the UN General Assembly in New York.