United Church Commits to Engaging UN Second Decade for People of African Descent

In 2015, the United Church committed to engaging with the first United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015–2024). This commitment was made jointly with The United Church of Canada and the United Church of Christ USA. 

During that first decade, The United Church of Canada created a Young Black Scholars program, which later expanded to become a program for Indigenous and Racialized Youth Scholars. Throughout that decade, there were opportunities for global advocacy with the United Nations as well as sustained efforts for education, faithful reflection, and action in local communities of faith. A Mandate magazine article that outlines some of those early efforts can be found under Downloads at the bottom of this page.

More recently, The United Church of Canada has committed to engaging with the United Nations Second International Decade for People of African Descent.  

“By committing to a second decade as the church, we build on the work we started in the first decade. We affirm our commitment to a long-term project that is consistent with ongoing efforts in anti-racism and anti-Black racism,” says Rev. Adele Halliday, Anti-Racism and Equity Lead for The United Church of Canada. 

“It's also an opportunity for us to make ecumenical connections with other church communities who are working on the second decade, and to consider broader impacts on society for this collective work,” she says.

The global hopes for this second decade are outlined in the above video from the United Nations; the United Church’s hopes for the decade will be further outlined by a Working Group on Church Legacies for People of African Descent.

This working group will continue to deepen our commitments to reparations, reparatory justice, and the 2025 agreement from the 45th General Council to work on a process and related work for an apology from The United Church of Canada to the African Diaspora for slavery and legacies of slavery in Canada. 

Expressions of interest to contributing to this working group, as well as related groups, are welcomed. Find out more and submit a nomination by March 17, 2026.

More broadly, ongoing work on anti-racism is guided by the church’s National Anti-Racism Action Plan, which has since been woven into the church’s Strategic Plan and will be updated and revised this year. The United Church’s current anti-racism work includes a focus on education and action, theology, governance, advocacy, and systemic shifts within the church and society as a whole.