CERD recommendations 2024, paragraph 44
Plain English recommendation
Government should:
(a) Effectively address structural inequalities and discriminatory barriers in social factors that influence health outcomes, including climate change and environmental health hazards, and improve health outcomes. It should also ensure ethnic minorities can access quality, culturally acceptable, gender-responsive care;
(b) Develop and implement further measures to protect ethnic minorities, based on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee highlights its statement under its early warning and urgent action procedure about the lack of equitable and non-discriminatory access to COVID-19 vaccines;
(c) Take more action to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates for ethnic minorities;
(d) Strengthen measures to effectively combat racial discrimination in the use of compulsory detention and community treatment orders, in particular by changing the relevant laws, including the Mental Health Act 1983.
Original UN recommendation
Recalling its previous concluding observations, the Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Take effective measures to address structural inequalities and discriminatory barriers in the context of the social determinants of health, including climate change and environmental health hazards, improve health outcomes and ensure the accessibility and availability of culturally acceptable and gender-responsive quality health-care services for persons belonging to ethnic minorities, throughout its jurisdiction;
(b) Develop and implement further measures to protect ethnic minorities on the basis of the lessons learned from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Committee reiterates the calls that it made in its statement and decision on the lack of equitable and non-discriminatory access to COVID-19 vaccines, under its early warning and urgent action procedures;
(c) Take further and effective steps to decrease infant and maternal mortality rates among ethnic minorities;
(d) Strengthen its measures to effectively address racial discrimination in the use of compulsory detention and community treatment orders, notably by amending the relevant legislation, including the Mental Health Act 1983.
Date of UN examination
24/09/2024
Original UN document
Download the original CERD concluding observations 2024 on the UN website.
Last updated on 11/04/2025