Objective/context:

In recent decades, international norms were created in Latin America to promote differentiated treatment of Afro-descendants. This article analyzes the interaction between transnational social movements, state institutions and international organizations in the approval and adoption of some of these international norms: the Santiago Declaration, the Durban Declaration and the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance by the Organization of American States (OAS).

Methodology:

The information came from interviews conducted with social leaders, public officials and officials of international, the memories of these actors’ speeches at international events, and United Nations, World Bank and OAS documentation. The information was organized and interpreted to delve the participation of each actor in the configuration of international norms for Afro-descendants.

Conclusions:

The main findings indicate that the specifics of the dynamic relations between those three actors (social movements, state actors and international officials) have triggered the configuration of international norms for Afro-descendants in Latin America.

Originality:

This findings adds up to previous research that have studied the interactions between Afro-descendant social movements at the national and international level, the effects of international Afro-descendant policy at the domestic level, and the interactions between the state and social movements at the national level. In this scenario, this article offers empirical evidence that has not been considered to contribute to the discussion of the construction of international norms for Afro-descendants, and to deepen the analysis of the impact of Afro-descendant mobilization at transnational level and the role of state and international officials in the construction of norms beyond national borders.