The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent will carry out a fact-finding visit to Switzerland from 17 to 26 January 2022.
“We will gather information on any forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance, in order to assess the overall human rights situation of people of African descent in Switzerland,” said Dominique Day, who heads the expert group.
The Working Group’s delegation, which is visiting the country at the invitation of the Government, will travel to Bern, Zurich, Lausanne and Geneva, and meet representatives of the Government, national institutions, people of African descent, civil society organisations and individuals working on issues of racism and racial discrimination.
The delegation, which also includes human rights experts Catherine Namakula and Barbara Reynolds, will look into good practices and gaps in protecting the human rights of people of African descent in Switzerland. The Working Group will present a report containing its findings and recommendations to the Human Rights Council in September 2022.
The experts will also promote the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024), which aims to highlight the contribution of people of African descent to societies, and to strengthen national, regional and international cooperation to ensure that the human rights of people of African descent around the world are respected, protected and fulfilled.
A news conference to share the delegation’s preliminary findings will be held at 2pm on Wednesday, 26 January at Hotel Kreuz Bern, Zeughausgasse 41, CH-3011 Bern.