GENEVA

The UK on Tuesday assured the UN that the new government is taking measures to root out racial inequalities and those inciting or participating in racial violence will face the full force of the law.

An official from the United Kingdom addressed the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Tuesday for the first time since unrest seen as racially motivated erupted in Britain, saying that Britain is "diverse."

"No one should have to endure racism, and we are fully committed to building a fairer country and taking the action needed to address racial inequalities," said Elizabeth Hawkins, who led the UK delegation at the headquarters of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

She addressed the body during a periodic review of the UK that followed bouts of unrest in Britain that started in the first week of August and which human rights groups said was often racially motivated.

Hawkins said the UK has received many waves of migration.

"This means that 18% of people are from ethnic minority backgrounds in England and Wales, 13% in Scotland, and 8.1% in Northern Ireland, and it is from this diversity that we draw our strength," she said.

The UK official said that in a recent global survey, 98% of people stated they are comfortable living next to people of a different race, which places us third globally.

"We are proud that the UK is one of the most welcoming and tolerant countries in the world that puts into context some of the violent disorder we have seen across the UK in recent days," said Hawkins.

The UK official said the country's people were heartened to see the much larger numbers of people protecting their communities, joining community cleanups, and raising money for victims.

"We know that racial inequalities do exist between different groups," explained Hawkins, saying Britain is proud of the progress made since its last review.

She also noted that a new government was elected in July, which is now under the Labour Party.

It is tackling barriers to opportunity as a priority and committing to several measures to root out racial inequalities.

"This includes the new government's intention to legislate to enshrine the full right to equal pay for ethnic minorities and to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay reporting for larger employers," said Hawkins.

Racial disparities

John Kirkpatrick, chief executive of the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission, focused on some disparities.

"There is evidence that racial disparities and enjoyment of rights persist, in particular for gypsies, Romaine travelers, black Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups," said Kirkpatrick.

He said such people continue to face discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing, and health.

"For example, in criminal justice, black children made up 26% of the youth custody population in 2023 compared to just 6% of the general population aged 10 to 17," said Kirkpatrick.

"Black offenders and those of mixed ethnicity were also more likely to receive a custodial sentence by comparison with white offenders."

He also explained that people from the Bangladeshi ethnic group have the highest level of overcrowding compared with all households.

And people from Black ethnic groups in England are three and a half times more likely than white people to be detained under the Mental Health Act.

A speaker from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission said that "racist hate crime" in Northern Ireland is increasing, including through organized attacks.