Preliminary Conclusions and Recommendations of the Fourth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

1. The United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent held its fourth session from 14 to 17 April 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States of America. Its overarching theme was “Africa and people of African descent: United forreparatory justice in the age of Artificial Intelligence.” In addition to the opening of the session, the general debate, and the side events, four thematic plenary discussions were held on the following topics: Reparatory justice for Africa and people of African descent; Human rights of women and girls of African descent; Policymaking and systemic racism: a human rightsbased approach; and Artificial intelligence and digital justice for people of African descent. The session was attended by more than 800 participants representing Member States, United Nations entities, civil society representatives, academic institutions, and the private sector from 90 countries. In addition, more than 80 side events were organized by the various stakeholders. 

2. The Permanent Forum expresses its appreciation to the high-level dignitaries, the panellists, Member States, as well as all participants for their contributions to the plenary discussions, side events, and conclusions and recommendations.

 3. The following conclusions and recommendations are preliminary in nature. They will form the basis of the Permanent Forum’s report to the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, and will also be shared with civil society and other relevant stakeholders. Reparatory justice for Africa and people of African descent 

4. The Permanent Forum affirms that reparatory justice for Africa and people of African descent remains a critical and urgent priority. The legacy of enslavement, colonialism, apartheid, and genocide within and among countries, continues to manifest in systemic racism, underdevelopment, socio-economic disparities, and violations of human rights. Therefore, reparations must be understood as a multidimensional process aimed at addressing these 2 historical and contemporary injustices including through measures such as restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, guarantees of non-repetition, and the restoration of human dignity. 

5. The Permanent Forum encourages further inquiry into the history, legacy and structural continuity of the Indian Ocean Slave Trade. It emphasizes the need for accountability and the legal recognition of slavery and the slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade as crimes against humanity in accordance with the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). 

6. The Permanent Forum notes the continued socio-economic and political exclusion of Africans and people of African descent as a consequence of the trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism. It reaffirms that reparations must include redistributive measures that empower historically marginalized populations, including through land rights, education, and building climate resilience. 

7. The Permanent Forum emphasizes that reparatory justice must dismantle systemic and structural racial inequalities and promote digital equity and technological sovereignty for people of African descent. It stresses that access to digital infrastructure, participation in technology development, and protection from racial bias in artificial intelligence systems are essential components of a holistic reparations framework. 

8. The Permanent Forum recognizes the leadership of the African Union (AU) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in advancing reparatory justice. It welcomes the African Union’s Decision 1 , which outlines concrete institutional mechanisms, including the establishment of a Committee of Experts on Reparations and an Africa Reparations Fund, as well as the development of an African Common Position. The Permanent Forum further welcomes the review of the CARICOM’s Ten-Point Action Plan and look forward to the updated version in the ongoing advocacy efforts by various stakeholders to secure reparations for the lasting consequences of the historical crimes of enslavement and colonial exploitation.

9. The Permanent Forum acknowledges the critical importance of deepening international cooperation among the African Union, CARICOM, the global African diaspora, and other concerned stakeholders to consolidate technical expertise, amplify descendant-led narratives, and unify strategic approaches to reparations. The Permanent Forum supports the development of joint commissions, global education campaigns, shared resource platforms, and cosponsored educational and advocacy initiatives among the African Union, CARICOM, and civil society organizations in the African diaspora and other stakeholders to consolidate collective power and overcome resistance to reparations at multilateral levels. 

10. The Permanent Forum recognizes that effective reparatory justice requires the creation of transparent, participatory, and accountable frameworks that ensure the agency and meaningful participation of affected communities. It emphasizes that reparations processes must be community-driven, including the centrality of youth, elders, civil society organizations, and cultural actors, guided by the lived experiences and priorities of Africans and people of African descent, and anchored in principles of justice, dignity, and self-determination. Effective reparations frameworks must institutionalize participatory mechanisms that include intergenerational and diaspora voices at all stages of the process. 

11. The Permanent Forum affirms that the Second International Decade for People of African Descent presents a unique opportunity to build a global movement for reparatory justice that transcends regions and generations and may contribute to the inclusion of global reparatory justice in the post-2030 agenda for sustainable development. 

12. In view of the above conclusions, and in addition to the recommendations made in its previous reports, the Permanent Forum recommends: (a) Member States to establish a comprehensive global framework for reparatory justice for people of African descent, grounded in international human rights law and guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, among others. It reiterates its earlier recommendation of the creation of a Global Reparations Fund, which should incorporate mechanisms for restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, and guarantees of non-repetition, and that centres the will and needs of people of African descent. It should integrate reparatory justice, with an intersectional approach, into national development strategies, including education, land rights, public health, climate resilience, and economic empowerment. (b) Member States, in cooperation with the African Union, CARICOM, and other relevant stakeholders, are urged to consider a joint resolution at the United Nations General Assembly to convene a High-Level Political Forum on Reparations with the aim of shaping a unified global reparatory justice agenda, securing the political will of States and institutions, and coordinating regional and international implementation efforts. (c) Member States are encouraged to initiate a comprehensive dialogue within the United Nations system on the language and terminology used in reparations discourse, with a view to decolonizing legal and policy frameworks and affirming the dignity of people of African descent. (d) Member States and institutions are encouraged to return looted African cultural heritage, property, artifacts, and ancestral remains, and to support the protection of sacred cultural sites and Afro-descendant religious practices through legal safeguards and public memorialization. (e) Member States, in collaboration with other regional bodies and other stakeholders, are encouraged to establish a coordinated, multi-stakeholder resourcesharing platform for the exchange of information, policies, strategies, financial resources, and best practices, as well as for identifying and addressing challenges related to reparatory justice. (f) All United Nations anti-racism mechanisms to enhance greater coordination in support of the implementation of the Programme of Activities of the Second International Decade and future post-2030 efforts and to ensure that reparatory justice and the elimination of systemic racism are prioritized by the UN system. 

13. Member States are further encouraged to: (a) Establish a legal advisory group on reparations. (b) organize an international conference in collaboration with the Permanent Forum and other United Nations anti-racism human rights mechanisms on the theme of 5 reparatory justice, the Second International Decade for People of African Descent and the Post-2030 Agenda.

Human rights of women and girls of African descent

 14. The Permanent Forum acknowledges that the historical and ongoing oppression of women and girls of African descent is rooted in the legacies of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans, colonialism and systemic racism. There was a systematic approach of dehumanization of African women from the onset of enslavement, setting the tone for the continued devaluation of women and girls of African descent to this day. The Permanent Forum will continue to advocate for the repeal of laws, in particular colonial-era laws, that continue to control the bodies and image of women of African descent, where such laws remain in force. 

15. The human rights situation of women and girls is the result of historical patriarchal political, legal, socioeconomic, and cultural structures and practices that have failed to take into account their specific lived realities. These structures and practices persist across regions and societies, both in the private and public spheres, and continue to restrict access to opportunities, leadership, decision-making and positions of power for women and girls of African descent. This has led to and exacerbated gender inequalities, female genital mutilation, sex-based discrimination, feminicide, and other forms of violence, including psychological and economic abuse. Addressing these challenges must be undertaken within a framework of reparatory justice for people of African descent. The current impediments to the progress of women of African descent, rooted in the legacies of enslavement and colonialism, make it clear that the goals of sustainable development cannot be achieved without reparatory measures that explicitly address their realities. The Permanent Forum reiterates the need to confront and dismantle the entrenched inequalities that arise at the intersection of race, gender, geography, and class if true development is to be realized and sustained. 

16. The Permanent Forum acknowledges the specific realities and experiences of women and girls of African descent, including migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees, and underscores the need to end their invisibility, and the persistent violence perpetuated against them. The compounded effects of racism, sexism and other forms of oppression result in multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, which impedes the full enjoyment of their human rights. The Permanent Forum notes that these impacts necessitate a thorough assessment of the 6 progress of SDG 5, as well as other SDGs, as their human rights are further undermined by limited access to economic opportunities and autonomy, including credit, land ownership and inheritance, among others. Furthermore, it expresses concern that, in some regions, many women and girls of African descent continue to face significant barriers to accessing leadership, quality health care, education and decent work, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, while being disproportionately represented in undervalued, low-wage and care economy sectors. 

17. The Permanent Forum emphasizes that an intersectional approach must be systematically applied in addressing the needs and human rights of women and girls of African descent, ensuring the active co-creation and meaningful participation of affected communities, civil society organizations, and communities of practice in both the definition of priorities and the shaping of interventions. It further encourages all relevant United Nations mechanisms, including Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures, and Consultative Mechanisms, including the Commission on the Status of Women – to apply this approach in their mandates, from the analysis of State party reports to the formulation of Concluding Observations and the conduct of interactive dialogues, in order to fully address the complex and overlapping forms of discrimination experienced by women and girls of African descent. 

18. In view of the above, the Permanent Forum recommends: (a) Member States and relevant international organizations are encouraged to establish and resource, within immigration and asylum agencies, specialized units dedicated to addressing the unique needs of women and girls of African descent. These units should be staffed with personnel trained in gender-based violence, trauma-informed care, culturally competent reproductive health, and antiracism. 

19. Members states are urged to: (a) Promote special measures with an intersectional approach to improve the representation of women and girls of African descent in all professional sectors, prioritizing representation in education and politics. (b) Recognize and integrate traditional midwifery into public health systems through inclusive policies, ensuring midwives’ participation, knowledge transmission, respect for Black women’s reproductive autonomy, and recognition of their right to give birth in accordance with human rights frameworks.

20. Member States, the United Nations and civil society are urged to: (a) strengthen partnerships with media to innovate in content delivery on women and girls of African descent by using storytelling and alternative media formats, including indigenous formats and learning experiences, with the view to humanizing evidence, engage younger audiences, and taking control of and owning their narratives. (b) Enhance communication within and among each other to broaden the Permanent Forum’s work and reach by, inter alia, effectively transmitting its recommendations to ensure that human rights and related issues for women and girls of African descent are included at all levels and processes such as the Financing for Development and High-Level Summit on Health Agendas. (c) prioritize the systematic collection and presentation of comprehensive, disaggregated data—including by race, ethnicity, gender, and other relevant intersecting factors—to enable a more accurate and nuanced assessment of the lived realities and specific challenges faced by women and girls of African descent. 

21. Member States and the UN, including field offices, are urged to implement targeted initiatives and allocate resources (financial, human and technical) to guarantee the meaningful participation, empowerment and leadership of women of African descent, including young women, in political, economic, and social decision-making processes at all levels. This includes proactively engaging with civil society organizations led by women of African descent, developing programs that build their capacity, identifying and actively dismantling barriers to their participation, and ensuring their voices and expertise directly inform the design and implementation of policies and initiatives, particularly within the framework of the Second International Decade. 

22. In line with the Beijing Declaration and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action for the advancement and empowerment of Women and Girls, Member States, are urged, within the framework of the Second International Decade on 8 People of African Descent, to include women of African descent as a priority theme for the Commission on the Status of Women, with a view to identifying the challenges and barriers they face in development and other contexts, explicitly advancing their human rights, lives, and livelihoods, and promoting their participation and leadership at all levels and across sectors. 

23. The United Nations Population Fund, in partnership with relevant parties, is encouraged to prioritize the development and publication, within the Second International for People of African Descent of a dedicated flagship report on the global status of Women and Girls of African Descent. This report should serve as a central advocacy tool, providing comprehensive data, analysis, and recommendations to address the unique challenges and advance the human rights and well-being of women and girls of African descent worldwide.

24. Keeping in mind good practices at the regional level, Member States, United Nations entities, and other intergovernmental bodies should adopt and effectively implement comprehensive, human rights-based policies and programmes specifically addressing racism and racially motivated violence against women and girls of African descent. These measures should be informed by good regional practices and grounded in national, regional, and international legal obligations, with a strong emphasis on prevention, protection and accountability. Furthermore, they should undertake evidence-based studies to analyse the intersection of racial and genderbased discrimination and its contribution to the high incidence of violence affecting women and girls of African descent across institutions, sectors, and both public and private spheres with a view to inform: (a) the development of targeted and inclusive policies and programmes; (b) the establishment of effective mechanisms to ensure equal access to justice and services; (c) the reinforcement of legal and institutional frameworks to combat raceand gender-based violence; and (d) the promotion, respect, and protection of the inherent human rights of women and girls of African descent, including their right to a life free from violence.

25. The Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action is encouraged to articulate the human rights of women and girls of African Descent in the draft United Nations declaration on the respect, protection and fulfilment of the human rights of people of African descent. 

26. Member States and other concerned stakeholders are encouraged to establish a plan of action to promote the leadership and recognition of women and girls of African descent based on the declaration of the International Day for women and girls of African descent (25 July). 

27. The newly created Global Network for the Study of Africans and People of African Descent is encouraged to establish a research group on women of African descent.

Policy-making and systemic racism: a human rights-based approach 

28. The Permanent Forum acknowledges that despite multiple convenings and discussions, there has been insufficient progress in combatting the scourge of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia faced by people of African descent. It reiterates the urgent need for concrete implementation of the ICERD and the DDPA, as legal obligations and guiding instruments for policy reform, can introduce real change, inclusion and meaningful participation for people of African descent. In this context, reparatory justice emerges as an integral component of such reform, necessary to address historic harms and to provide meaningful justice and redistribution to people of African descent. This should go beyond economic redress to also confront the mental and intergenerational trauma experienced by people of African descent, which continues to manifest in diverse and pervasive ways. The Permanent Forum underscores that systemic and structural racial discrimination continues and requires collective action, as well as strengthening of legal frameworks to address the disparities that persist. 

29. With this in mind, the Permanent Forum urges Member States to: (a) Consider organizing, with the support of the Office of the High Commissioner, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Ad Hoc Committee on Complementary Standards and other relevant stakeholders, an international conference to assess ICERD and DDPA’s contributions , notably with regard to addressing systemic and structural racial discrimination against Africans and people of African descent, both within and among countries, and explore how a future United Nations declaration on the respect, protection and fulfilment of the human rights of people of African descent can further strengthen protections in this regard.

(b) Promote the right to meaningful, inclusive and safe participation of people of African descent in national programmes and policies. This includes participation in the administration, design and field testing of data collection programs. It should also entail support to civil society-led youth advocacy groups to enable year-round youth engagement with the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent and other UN anti-racism human rights mechanisms. 

30. The Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action is urged to include collective rights in the proposed draft United Nations declaration on the respect, protection and fulfilment of the human rights of people of African Descent, including a collective human right to recognition and redress of systemic and structural racism within and among countries, as well as a collective right to reparatory justice; and a right of people of African descent to be appropriately included in demographic surveys. 

31. The General Assembly is encouraged to organize a conference that includes all antiracism and indigenous human rights mechanisms, as well as civil society, to discuss the conceptualization of the post-2030 Agenda in view of the systemic and structural racism within and among countries and the lasting global consequences of colonialism and enslavement to inform the discussions of the Post-2030 Agenda and that a report with recommendations be an outcome of this convening. 

Artificial intelligence and digital justice for people of African descent

 32. The Permanent Forum acknowledges the significant potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in contributing to societal development. It expresses profound concerns regarding the perpetuation of racial biases within AI systems, which exacerbates existing disparities and undermines the enjoyment of human rights, particularly for people of African descent, as highlighted by various UN anti-racism mechanisms.

 33. The Permanent Forum affirms the need for a human rights-based, inclusive, and globally coordinated approach to AI governance, which recognizes the specific risks that AI systems pose to people of African descent due to structural and systemic racism. These frameworks must address transparency, accountability, and inclusivity to ensure that AI serves the cause of equity, justice, and human dignity. Furthermore, the Permanent Forum affirms that such regulatory mechanisms should proactively address historical and structural inequities to prevent AI from reinforcing discriminatory patterns and practices. 

34. The Permanent Forum recognizes that digital exclusion is compounded by intersecting factors such as race, gender, geography, and class. Women and girls of African descent, migrant populations, and youth are disproportionately affected by algorithmic harm and digital inaccessibility. The Permanent Forum affirms that AI governance must centre the voices, safety, and leadership of people of African descent to foster inclusive participation, social justice, and empowerment in the digital age. 

35. The Permanent Forum affirms that AI and digital technologies cannot be disconnected from the broader historical and contemporary injustices that sustain them. Thus, digital justice must incorporate commitments to reparatory justice, environmental sustainability, and the sovereignty of people of African descent over both natural and digital resources. It is concerned about the persistent digital divide, manifested in unequal access to infrastructure, education, and digital literacy, which continues to marginalize people of African descent globally. It acknowledges that closing the digital divide is essential for achieving global justice and equality in the digital realm and reaffirms the urgency of addressing these disparities, calling for immediate and sustained structural investments in digital infrastructure, STEM education, and localized capacity-strengthening. 12 36. The Permanent Forum welcomes the positive initiatives presented by Member States, including the resolution on the Right to Privacy in the Digital Age, the Freedom Online Coalition’s Task Force on AI and Human Rights, and the development of generative language models that contribute to linguistic diversity, and the decolonization of digital spaces, such as LatamGPT and Lanfrica. Additionally, the Permanent Forum recognizes the significance of global frameworks, including UNESCO’s 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the Global Digital Compact, and recommendations from the OHCHR and the UN human rights mechanisms in this regard. 

37. The Permanent Forum strongly affirms that people of African descent must not be passive subjects of AI systems but active agents in their creation, governance, and oversight. Representation in data, design, policymaking, and research must be prioritized to ensure that AI technologies do not perpetuate existing biases but instead contribute to an inclusive and just digital future. It acknowledges the invaluable contributions of Africans and people of African descent epistemologies, cultural frameworks, and ancestral knowledge. These must be integrated into the development and regulation of AI to build a pluralistic technological landscape that honours and respects the dignity and human rights of all people. 

38. In line with the above, the Permanent Forum recommends Member States to: (a) Adopt binding regulatory frameworks for AI, grounded in international human rights law and informed by an understanding of systemic racism and its technological manifestations. (b) Promote special measures that explicitly address the intersectional impacts of AI and systemic racism. (c) Create national and international monitoring and reporting systems to evaluate the impacts of AI on human rights, with particular attention to the human rights and dignity of people of African descent. (d) Recognize technological equity and digital inclusion as pillars of reparatory justice and promote the digital sovereignty of African nations and people of African descent by supporting their participation in shaping global technology standards and innovation. (e) Establish a United Nations Working Group on AI and Racial Equity under the umbrella of existing anti-racism human rights mechanisms, to explore the ethical, social, and legal dimensions of AI in the lives of people of African descent as well as to offer guidelines and recommendations on AI and to collect and analyse data disaggregated by race and other factors; present that data to the public; and use in policymaking and in holding policymakers and States to account from a human rights-based perspective. (a) Urgently suspend AI technologies used in law enforcement and criminal justice systems where such technologies exhibit racial or gender bias and the establishment of judicial oversight mechanisms to ensure compliance with principles of due process and equality. (b) Criminalize algorithmic discrimination and adopt safeguards against the misuse of AI in surveillance, profiling, and predictive policing, especially where these systems disproportionately impact people of African descent. (c) Abolish laws and practices that criminalize protests and target Black activists and ban predictive policing and facial recognition tools. (d)Invest in inclusive digital education and STEM initiatives for youth of African descent, especially girls, and the integration of Afrocentric knowledge systems, languages, and epistemologies in science, technology, and innovation policies. (e) Create a United Nations-administered special fund to support equitable access to digital tools, infrastructure, and innovation hubs for communities of African descent, with particular attention to rural and underserved territories. (f) Include protections against algorithmic bias in the draft United Nations declaration on the respect, protection and fulfilment of the human rights of people of African descent and recommends that such a declaration reflect the principles of technological justice, equity, and transformative inclusion. (g) Ensure that AI and digital innovation policies respect the rights of people of African descent to cultural autonomy, land, and linguistic preservation, including in contexts such as education, climate response, and public service delivery. 

39. The Permanent Forum recommends that Member States, in partnership with the private sector, academia, and civil society, establish and fund national and regional platforms to eliminate algorithmic bias, ensure data justice, and create culturally 14 relevant and inclusive datasets that reflect the lived realities of people of African descent. 

40. The Permanent Forum further calls upon Member States and local governments to integrate geolocation tools with appropriate safeguards in the identification and recognition of people of African descent’s territories and maritime areas. 

41. The Permanent Forum urges the United Nations and Member States to recognize and address digital gender-based violence, including racialized online abuse targeting Black women and girls, and to enact protective legislation that upholds dignity and safety in digital spaces. 

42. The Permanent Forum calls upon all United Nations entities, programmes and funds to embed anti-discrimination and racial equity as measurable criteria in the implementation of digital and AI-related programs, in line with international human rights standards.

Haiti 

43. The Permanent Forum affirms that the current unabated security, political, humanitarian, and human rights crises in Haiti did not develop in a vacuum. These crises are deeply rooted in a series of complex and multidimensional factors such as the legacies of colonization, the institution of enslavement, the widespread forced cultivation of lands, as well as the consequences of events following the Haitian revolution, including a defining moment in global history: France’s imposition of an “independence debt” on Haiti, the world’s first Black republic.

 44. The situation today is dire. Urgent actions are needed at all levels of governance and these actions should centre and feature Haitians with the adoption of a reparatory justice approach to effectively address the current situation.

 45. The Permanent Forum recognizes the role of civil society in raising the issue of reparations and restitution for Haiti and highlights the contribution of the Permanent Forum as a platform in this regard. It notes the recent announcement of France to establish a Commission, together 15 with Haitians, to address Haiti’s independence debt as a first step and calls on all concerned States to take steps towards reparatory justice.

 46. In line with its recently launched advocacy, the Permanent Forum recommends: (a) The establishment of a reparation fund for Haiti. (b) The organization of a debate in the Human Rights Council on the linkages between the past and present human rights challenges in Haiti with a view to establishing an International Independent Commission of Inquiry into Reparatory Justice for Haiti and to commission an independent expert study on the question of reparations for the people of Haiti. (c) Support to the Haitian government, in close collaboration with Haitian civil society, to ensure a comprehensive victim-centred process of truth, justice and reconciliation for the Haitian people. (d) Developing comprehensive, internationally coordinated and Haitian-led, inclusive and transparent development aid and sustainable development programs for Haiti, as well as additional technical assistance and capacity building in Haiti, using a human rights-based approach toward modernizing the judicial infrastructure and strengthening the rule of law. (e) Supporting the creation of adequately resourced Haitian-led and victim-centred transitional justice mechanisms. (f) Strengthening of partnerships between African and Caribbean States, the Haitian diaspora, and regional institutions. 

47. Furthermore, in light of the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground, the Permanent Forum calls for an immediate halt to the deportation of Haitian nationals residing outside their country, and urges all Member States, in particularly those in the region, to adopt and implement safe, humane, and human rights-based migration policies for Haitian migrants. 

General observations 

48. During this session, many stakeholders reaffirmed the importance of the Permanent Forum as a consultative body with a vital role in advancing economic, social, digital and especially reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent globally. At the same time, stakeholders emphasized the need for greater support to enable the Permanent Forum to effectively fulfil its important mandate. 

49. In this regard, the Permanent Forum calls for the organization of its annual session of the Permanent Forum in the African continent with a view to strengthen cooperation between Africa and its diaspora. 

50. The Permanent Forum reiterates its previous recommendations urging Member States to add an extra day to the future sessions of the Permanent Forum to allow for more voices to be heard and to have more in-depth discussions on the issues affecting this constituency. 

51. The Permanent Forum also calls on the Human Rights Council, in line with General Assembly resolution 75/314, to initiate the review of this Permanent Forum by requesting the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a workshop to collect comprehensive views on the functioning of the mechanism and the scope of its mandate.

Preliminary Conclusions and Recommendations, Fourth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.14-17 April 2025, New York City, United States of America.