19 Sep International Decade for People of African Descent
I was honoured to attend the ‘International Decade for People of African Descent – A Global Call to Action,’ with Tony Ince, Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs at Saint Mary’s University. Minister Ince did a wonderful job as emcee.
The event circulated around the idea that the Province and its communities must work together to eliminate the many challenges faced by African Nova Scotians – And last evening, the Government released an action plan specifically aimed to do just that.
The plan is called: Count Us In and is in response to the United Nation’s ‘International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024.’
Nova Scotia is the only area in North America to create such an action plan.
Count Us In is based on three pillars, which have been identified by the UN; The three pillars are: Recognition, justice and development.
The action plan will help government departments, organizations and the community-at-large join to address challenges faced by African Nova Scotians; It also aims to promote new opportunities.
Thank you to Kate Gilmore, who is the UN’s Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, on her powerful presentation.
African Nova Scotians are the largest racialized group in Nova Scotia, which equates to 37.3 per cent of Nova Scotia’s racialized population. Furthermore, 2.4 per cent of Nova Scotia’s population identify as African Nova Scotian.
For more information about the International Decade for People of African Descent, please visit: https://www.un.org/en/events/africandescentdecade