UUP outlines proposals to tackle the needs of Ethnic Minorities in Northern Ireland
To mark Community Relations Week, the Ulster Unionist Party today hosted a seminar in Cunningham which was addressed by Party Leader Sir Reg Empey MLA and the UUP Community Relations spokesperson, Dr. Esmond Birnie MLA.
Ethnic minority groups and organizations were invited, including representatives from NICEM and the Pakistani Cultural Association.
The event explored the importance of political life in Northern Ireland positively embracing the diversity of our society, and outlined UUP proposals to tackle racism. The UUP website also included a welcome message from Sir Reg in 8 languages including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Polish and Portuguese.
Among the UUP proposals are:
- An anti-racism pledge for all future UUP election candidates will be brought to the Party Executive for its approval.
- We will also work with ethnic minority organisations to ensure that our constituency offices throughout Northern Ireland are equipped to provide services to those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
- A new section of our Party website www.uup,org is being launched today, specifically addressing those from ethnic minority backgrounds. The section will address issues of concern to ethnic minority communities, link to relevant sites, and provide information on voter registration.
- We will work with community leaders in loyalist areas to promote the generous, pluralist British values of the contemporary United Kingdom.
- The Ulster Unionist Party therefore endorses the recommendations of the Concordia report. The report provides a roadmap to ensure that migrant workers are, as it states, “not treated as second-class citizens, but as respected members of our community.”
Speaking at the event UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey said,
“A fair society guarantees equality for all of its citizens. The Ulster Covenant – our Party’s foundation document – referred to the “cherished position of equal citizenship within the United Kingdom”. Racism and racist attitudes are an assault on this fundamental Ulster Unionist value. As one of Northern Ireland’s leading political parties we have a responsibility to lead by example in demonstrating this.
Those members of our community from ethnic minorities are a reminder to us all that the challenges of settling in a new community are nothing new in the history of this part of the United Kingdom. Many Ulster-Scots and Irish people over the generations have left our shores to begin new lives in all corners of the globe – and have made invaluable contributions to their new communities. Their experiences are part of who we are as a community. And those experiences should shape our response to those with backgrounds from other shores – as respected, welcomed, valued members of our shared community.
We celebrate diversity – and we want to secure the future of our diverse society. That is why we in the Ulster Unionist Party are committed to securing fairness, freedom from fear and a cohesive community for all in Northern Ireland.