He will give a keynote lecture and participate in the presentation of the book (Own) views on the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024.
ATTENTION: Change in place and time of the keynote lecture.
San Juan | Monday, February 6, 2023 | International specialist in the rights of Afro-descendants, Colombian attorney Pastor Elías Murillo Martínez, will visit Puerto Rico from February 21 to 24 to deliver the keynote address Afrodescendants: Recognition, Justice and Development. In addition, the also member of the United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent will participate in the presentation of the book he co-authored, (Own) views on the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024., with co-authors Palmira N. Ríos González, PH.D., and Senator and attorney Ana Irma Rivera Lassen.
The keynote lecture, Afrodescendants: Recognition, Justice and Development, will be held on Thursday, February 23, at the Law School of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico in Hato Rey, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, the presentation of the book: (Own) views on the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024. will be held on Wednesday, February 22, at the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Puerto Rico (CAAPR), in Miramar, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Ebenecer López Ruyol, president of the CAAPR Special Commission to Promote Racial Equality in Puerto Rico; and the presenters will be Dr. Francis D. Nina Estrella, president of the Pen Club of Puerto Rico International and editor-in-chief of El Post Antillano, and Dr. Doris Quiñones Hernández, president of the Pen Club of Puerto Rico International and editor-in-chief of El Post Antillano, and Dr. Doris Quiñones Hernández, editor-in-chief of El Post Antillano. Doris Quiñones Hernández, coordinator of the Caribbean Region of the Network of Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean and Diaspora Women (RMAAD) and director of the Department of Social Sciences of the School of General Studies at UPRRR.
Both events are free of charge. Please register in the following link or write to FCPR@fcpr.org, because space is limited.
“The issue of people of African descent is of critical importance in addressing several major global challenges, including migration, the climate crisis, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the disruptive impacts of artificial intelligence, democratic stability and international peace and security,” said Murillo Martinez.
The visit of Murillo Martinez is presented by the Institute for Building Racial Equity in the Americas (ICERLA), a program of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation (FCPR), which has as one of its objectives to promote the exchange of experiences and learning among countries in the region to achieve a more just and equitable society for Afro-descendant communities. “The visit of Pastor Murillo, an active member of the Permanent Forum of Afrodescendants of the United Nations, represents for Puerto Rico a unique opportunity for the exchange of knowledge that strengthens the construction of racial equity. In particular, it makes visible the search for effective responses to the manifestations of inequity still prevalent in our communities,” said Dr. Nelson I. Colón Tarrats, president and chief executive officer of the FCPR.
Meanwhile, Ríos González, a member of ICERLA's Advisory Council, noted that “Pastor Murillo's visit offers us a great opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the work plans of the United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, identify opportunities to influence the development of this international agenda, and develop an agenda for the recognition, justice and development of people of African descent in Puerto Rico and the Diaspora.”
The United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, established in 2022, was created after the Declaration of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024). of the United Nations, which ends next year. As it was recently created, the Permanent Forum is working in its initial phase of designing the agenda and proposals for the world community, so the exchange that Murillo Martínez will have in Puerto Rico will enrich the process of developing proposals. On the other hand, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the Decade in December 2014 to strengthen actions and measures that guarantee the full exercise of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights of people of African descent, as well as their full and equal participation in society. It also seeks to encourage states to eradicate social injustices and combat racism, prejudice and racial discrimination.
Interesting facts about Murillo Martínez:
- He has more than 27 years of international experience in the Afro-descendant agenda.
- It is currently member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.
- He was a member (2008 -2020) and vice-chair (2018 -2020) of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
- Member of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Commission on Equity and Inequalities in Health in the Americas (2016 -2019).
ICERLA seeks to strengthen Afro-descendant leadership in the Caribbean, Central and South America, so that through advocacy and the development of public policies, it can narrow the inequality gap still prevalent in the region. It also seeks to strengthen and promote initiatives and projects that seek grassroots solutions and narrative changes. ICERLA has three strategic axes: 1) leadership development for changes in public policy; 2) knowledge for action; and 3) the creation of new narratives. ICERLA is supported by C.S. Mott Foundation, Casey Family Programs, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Lumina Foundation, The California Endowment and Hispanics in Philanthropy.