Failure to address the legacy of slavery continues to enable structural and institutional racism across the United States and present “de facto barriers” for African-Americans, members of the U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said Tuesday.

“The legacy of enslavement in the United States of America remains a serious challenge, as there has been no real commitment to recognition and reparations for people of African descent,” working group chair Ricardo A. Sunga III said.

In an August report summarizing a January visit to five U.S. cities, the working group concluded that from education to health to public safety, African-Americans were “[enjoying] different levels of protection of their rights depending on the state that they are living in.”