The UN Anti-Racism Conference in South Africa is currently dominated by headlines surrounding the withdrawal of the US and Israeli delegations. Less visible but equally difficult is the search for a global consensus around a text that adequately addresses the issue of racism.
Niall Crowley, C.E.O. of the Equality Authority stated “The importance of the Conference and its successful outcome cannot be underestimated. Testimonies presented from all over the world clarified the global pernicious and diverse nature of the issues of racism. The Conference should provide the necessary impetus for concerted and coherent action against racism.”
The Equality Authority welcomes the valuable progress being made in achieving a consensus around areas such as the need for:
- individual countries to devise action plans to combat racism;
- poverty eradication strategies to target those who experience racism;
- policies to address the health disparities suffered by those who experience racism;
- an enhancement of the presence at all levels in the public and private sectors of Black and minority ethnic people;
- addressing racism in the workplace with a particular focus on migrant workers; and
- to keep immigration law and practice under review to ensure there is no place for racism.
ENDS