WASHINGTON, CMC – The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, has called on countries of the Americas to promote, protect, and respect the rights of people of African descent, including their right to health.
His call comes ahead of the International Day of People of African Descent observance on Saturday.
PAHO said approximately 210 million people of African descent live in the Americas, including the Caribbean, representing 20 percent of the population. However, the health needs of these groups are often neglected, leading to significant inequities.
A PAHO study published in 2021 on Afro-descendant populations in 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries showed that these groups live in highly unequal social and economic conditions that affect their health.
For example, people of African descent are 2.5 times more likely to live in poverty and often face limited access to health services and higher maternal and infant mortality rates.
“These inequities are rooted in historical exclusion, racism, and discrimination, which contribute to poor health outcomes and perpetuate the precarious living conditions of a significant portion of this population,” Dr. Barbosa said in a video message to mark the International Day.
“PAHO is committed to improving the health, health equity, and well-being of people of African descent in the Americas,” he added.
PAHO said that its actions to address racial health inequalities include member states approving the first Policy on Ethnicity and Health in 2017 and, a year later, the Strategy and Plan of Action on Ethnicity and Health 2019-2025.
Through their implementation, PAHO said it provides technical support to countries to reduce inequalities and eliminate barriers to access to health services for people of African descent.
“On this Day, PAHO calls on its Member States to continue advancing the Strategy and Plan of Action on Ethnicity and Health,” Dr. Barbosa said in his message, reiterating the organization’s commitment “to promoting an intersectoral and intercultural approach with a human rights, gender, and social determinants of health focus to achieve equity and well-being for all peoples in the Americas”
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called for global action to ” defeat racism and discrimination” towards people of African descent in his message marking the International Day highlighting the diaspora.
In December 2013, the UN General Assembly declared the International Decade for People of African Descent to address recognition, justice, and development issues.
The decade beginning in 2015 aimed to promote the rights of people of African descent, increase awareness of their cultural contributions, and strengthen legal frameworks to combat racial discrimination.
In 2021, August 31 was recognized as the international day.
Guterres called on member states to declare a second international decade “to help to accelerate global efforts for true change,” noting how people of African descent have contributed to society through leadership and activism.
“Yet, the intolerable legacies of enslavement and colonialism endure. Systemic racism is rife and continues to mutate into new forms, including in new technologies, where algorithms can amplify discrimination.”
The Secretary-General said the UN is prioritizing eradicating the “scourge of racism and racial discrimination” and has established a new Anti-Racism Office that will address racism in the workplace.
“We also need governments to take the lead by advancing and implementing policies and laws to tackle systemic racism and ensure inclusion,” Guterres said, adding there is a need for reparatory justice to address slave crimes.
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