UN Human Rights Council 46: Item 9 General Debate
The UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, delivered this statement during the Item 9 General Debate.
Thank you Madam President,
The United Kingdom’s position on racism is clear: there is no place in society for racism, either at home or abroad. That is why we are resolute in our commitment to eliminating racial discrimination, and to tackling all forms of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance.
At home, we are deeply concerned that the evidence shows that people from ethnic minorities are disproportionately at risk of contracting Covid-19 and dying from it. That is why we are taking action to improve our understanding of the disparities in order to protect those at greatest risk.
In this past year, the United Kingdom has funded six innovative research projects to better understand the links between Covid-19 and ethnicity, and provided information, including working closely with ethnic minority communities, to support those receiving a vaccine and to anyone who has questions about the vaccination process.
We are proud to be leading the way on Covid-19 vaccine rollout and have been holding regular meetings with faith leaders and ethnic minority organisations to share further advice about vaccines. Our communications include information in multiple forms of media, translated into 13 languages including Bengali, Chinese, Filipino, Gujarati, Hindi, Mirpur, Punjabi and Urdu. We have also shared advice in hundreds of national, regional, local and specialist titles to reach every individual in the UK.
Internationally, we remain dedicated to participating actively in anti-racism-related UN mechanisms. As we approach the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March and going forward our efforts will continue to focus on the practical steps that states can take to combat racism. We are committed to working with other countries to share good practice and re-energise our joint efforts on this agenda.
Thank you.