3 June 2026 – The Women’s Regional Consortium (WRC) has raised serious concerns about the Executive Office’s proposed Framework for Race Relations, warning that it lacks the clarity, ambition, and accountability needed to effectively tackle racism in Northern Ireland.
In its response to the public consultation, the Consortium endorsed submissions from the Equality Coalition and the Women’s Policy Group, highlighting shared concerns that the draft framework fails to address the rising levels of racist incidents and hate crime.
The WRC stressed that racial inequality is a structural and human rights issue, and that the proposed framework does not meet the UK’s international obligations under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
The organisation noted that previous approaches under the Racial Equality Strategy (2015–2025) were undermined by a lack of delivery mechanisms, funding and accountability, and warned against repeating those mistakes.
The Consortium is calling for:
- A clear, costed action plan with measurable outcomes, timelines and named responsible bodies
- Ring-fenced funding to ensure delivery
- Stronger action on hate crime, including justice system reform and victim support
- A focus on tackling structural racism, including paramilitary and far-right violence
- Improved ethnic equality monitoring and data collection
- Meaningful engagement with affected communities
The Women’s Regional Consortium is urging the Executive Office to significantly strengthen the framework to ensure it delivers tangible progress on racial equality.
-Ends–
