The United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2011 as International Year for People of African Descent (in UN resolution A/RES/64/169).
[1] That year also marked the 10th anniversary of the World Conference Against Racism (also known as the Durban Conference),[2] which approved a resolution stating that slavery along with the colonization that sustained it were crimes against humanity.
[3] The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights coordinated activities surrounding the Year, and encouraged other parties, both UN agencies as well as member states, to carry out similar initiatives.
[4][2] These included:[5]