New national plan to combat racism launched by Government

The Government has today launched the National Action Plan Against Racism 2023-2027, which was developed by an independent Anti-Racism Committee. The plan sets out a coordinated approach to eliminating racism in all its forms in Ireland.

There are five main objectives in the Action Plan, under which there are priority actions and recommendations on how to implement the actions. The objectives are:

1.       Being Safe and Being Heard – Supporting people who experience racism and protecting people from racist incidents and crimes

2.       Being Equal – Addressing ethnic inequalities

3.       Being Seen and Taking Part – Enabling minority participation

4.       Being Counted – Measuring the impacts of racism

5.       Being Together – A shared journey to racial equality

Welcoming the publication of the National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR), Minister for Equality and Integration Roderic O’Gorman TD said:

“I welcome the publication of Ireland’s National Action Plan Against Racism, fulfilling a key commitment in the Programme for Government negotiated by the Green Party in 2020. Ireland has gone 15 years without a specific plan to combat racism, with the last plan lapsing in 2008. This National Action Plan Against Racism has been long-anticipated, particularly by those who experience racism and who feel its impact on their day-to-day lives.

Racism has no place in an equal society. We live in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country, and everyone who lives here, regardless of their race, colour, ethnicity or origin, deserves to be treated fairly, with respect, and free from racial discrimination.

There is clear evidence that racism exists in Ireland, and if we are to truly tackle it in all its forms, in our institutions, in our workplaces, in our sports clubs, and in our local communities, we must strive to be actively anti-racist.

I would like to thank the members of the independent Anti-Racism Committee for all of their hard work in creating this plan, which sets out a coordinated approach to tackling racism, and includes a set of priority actions and recommendations of which the effective implementation will be key in making Ireland a safer and more inclusive country.”

The National Action Plan Against Racism can be found at www.gov.ie/anti-racism.