The concept of “Afrodescendant” refers to people belonging to diverse cultures, that descend from African populations and whom are survivors of slavery, while recognizing them as an ethnic community that has politicized its identity and whose members consider that they constitute a distinct people.

Even today, the Afrodescendant population that was enslaved during the almost four century long slave trade in the Americas, is still subject to extreme inequalities, discrimination and structural and institutionalized racism interwoven with a culture and history of privilege that excludes them from the benefits of development.

The framework for the development of legal standards on the rights of persons of African descent is grounded in the human rights principles that apply to the general public and in treaties that refer specifically to Afrodescendants.

Within the policy framework for reducing existing inequalities between Afrodescendants and non-Afrodescendants, measures include legal instruments to prohibit racial discrimination, plans for the promotion of racial equality and development, and policies for strengthening traditional Afrodescendant communities.

Pre-existing health and economic inequalities experienced by people of African descent were aggravated by the COVID 19 pandemic due to unequal access to health systems, institutional discrimination and a lack of intercultural perspective on the part of health services.