Incidents Support project, a project of Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum will be joining a group of charities as part of a delegation to the United Nations in Geneva to present a report on the Governments lack of action on race inequality.

UK NGOs Against Racism have produced a Report which they will be presenting to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, criticising the Government's record to date on the issue.

UK NGOs Against Racism is calling on the Government to:

• Urgently develop a race equality strategy outlining what it intends to do to promote equal opportunities between people of different ethnic backgrounds
• Show commitment to tackling ethnic inequalities in outcomes in education, health, housing, employment and the criminal justice system
• Reverse the disproportionate targeting of Muslim and minority communities under the Governments counter-terrorism policy
• Look at ways to ensure its austerity measures do not disproportionally impact on those from minority ethnic communities.

The group the will be expressing their concerns regarding the reduction in budget of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, as well as around decisions to undermine the Equality Act, including those around dual discrimination.

The group will be presenting their evidence to the UN committee on the 22nd and 23rd August and the UK Government will be examined by the committee on the 23rd and 24th August. The UN's response to the UK evidence will be published on 2nd September.

Commenting, CRISP Project Manager Tony Lindsay said, "As an organization based in the East of England we welcome the invitation to be part of the UK delegation giving evidence to the United Nations committee. The Report includes the voices of many regional organisations who have been crucial in identifying the key issue we will be presenting. The elimination of racial discrimination is a key strand of the Government's equality policy but for some time we have been concerned that the Government's attack on the Equality Act, its counter-terrorism policies and the disproportionate impact of deficit reduction on BME communities has exacerbated racial inequality in the UK".

Eddie Stadnik, CECF Chief Officer said “Rob Berkeley, Director of the Runnymede Trust who have co-ordinated the Report to the UN said: It is crucial that the Government puts together a strong race equality strategy focused on tackling the inequalities that still exist in the UK. We hope that the UN response on the 2nd September will prompt practical ways for the UK Government to work to decrease racism and discrimination".

For further information, please contact: Tony Lindsay, CRISP Project Manager, Tel: 01223 462615; email: tonylindsay@cecf.co.uk