ACS Congratulates new members of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

Epsy Campbell photo by Mariela Vargas/Jess Márquez Gaspar

ACS Congratulates new members of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

The ACS Secretariat congratulates former Secretary General, Dr. June Soomer and Vice President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell, who have been elected as members of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

The Forum is a consultative mechanism of the United Nations and an advisory body to the Human Rights Council, and is composed of 10 independent experts of recognized competence in the field of Afro-descendants and human rights.

In her new position, Soomer will represent CARICOM, while Epsy Campbell Barr, Vice President of Costa Rica, will represent Latin America.

The decision to establish the Forum was taken after Vice President Campbell insisted in the plenary of the organisation and in various bilateral meetings on the urgency of creating such a forum with the objective of improving the quality of life of people of African descent around the world.

About the ACS

The Association of Caribbean States is the organization for consultation, cooperation and concerted action in trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters in the Greater Caribbean. Its Member States are Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Its Associate Members are Aruba, Curacao, (France on behalf of French Guiana, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin ), Guadeloupe, Martinique, Sint Maarten, (The Netherlands on behalf of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius ), Turks and Caicos.