Notes that pupils in Bannerman High School in the constituency of Glasgow East have adopted an anti-racism charter which will be signed by everyone who studies and works in the school; further notes that the charter will be signed by pupils and staff on the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; further notes that the charter includes the commitments ‘we will respect everyone’, ‘we will challenge all racist slurs, discrimination, and abuse’, ‘we will report any of the above to a member of staff’, and ‘we will be allies in the fight to end racism for good’; and declares that the charter adopted by students and staff at Bannerman high school should set an examples for other institutions to commit to anti-racist principles, this should include the House of Commons.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to adopt the principles of United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by David Linden, Official Report, 21 March 2022; Vol. 711, c. 132.]
[P002720]
Observations from the Leader of the House of Commons (Mark Spencer):
The Government support the UN Resolution to mark 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. We are clear that there is no place for racism in our society, and thank the students and staff at Bannerman High School for their work to tackle racial discrimination.
The Government are committed to fulfilling their commitments to the UN Committee that leads on the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which includes submission of the State Report. The work on the report is in its final stages and it will be submitted in due course.
In July 2020, the Prime Minister launched the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities to conduct a detailed, data-led examination of inequality across the entire population, and to set out a positive agenda for change. The Government’s response to the Commission’s findings, “Inclusive Britain”, was published on 17 March 2022 and sets out a ground-breaking action plan to tackle negative disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all.