The first World Summit of African Descent will be held August 18 – 21 in La Ceiba, Honduras, with the participation of the President of that country, Porfirio Lobo, the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, the President of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, the Vice President of Guatemala, Jose Rafael Espada, and a delegation of senior representatives from the Organization of American States (OAS). Said delegation will be conformed by the Executive Secretary of the Summits of the Americas Secretariat and representative of the Secretary General, Sherry Tross; the Head of International Law, Dante Negro; and the OAS Representative in Honduras, Jorge Miranda.

Topics such as combating racism and discrimination, respect for Afro-descendants’ rights to education, housing and employment, justice, health, land ownership and human rights will discussed at the meeting, which will bring together more than 700 representatives from 70 countries. OAS authorities will contribute to the debate on law and development, specifically, on the issue of promoting affirmative action and differentiated public policies, as well as issues involving donors and prospects for development, economic growth, entrepreneurship and social investment.

The event is organized by the Organization for Ethnic Community Development (ODECO), and is sponsored by public and private institutions, international aid agencies and diplomatic missions, among others.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.