Simon Woolley to speak at UN

On behalf of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Commissioner Simon Woolley, who champions race, has been invited by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Right's Anti-Discrimination Unit to speak at the 11th Session on the Working Group (WG) on people of African Descent.

The Working Group has found that people of African descent experience discrimination relating to their representation in, and treatment by, the administration of justice, and face considerable hurdles in accessing health, housing, education and political participation. The WG also particularly emphasised the need for further collection of data disaggregated on the basis of ethnicity to identify and address African descendants’ human rights issues.

Simon Woolley stated,

‘It is always a great honour to speak at the UN, but particularly so in an area that I care so much about. My brief time on floor of the UN will no doubt look at the challenges the UK’s African diaspora face around issues such as policing, unemployment and education. But I’m sure that our brothers and sisters from around the globe will also be keen to hear about our strengths as a community and the work the Commission and other bodies are doing to ensure tackling race inequality remains high on the agenda. These events are equally an opportunity to broaden links with the global African diaspora."

Staff Reporter