Report to UN highlights moves to fight racial discrimination

S'pore cites new laws, affirms commitment to strengthening racial, religious harmony

- Ng Wei Kai

Singapore has put in place new legislation over the past seven years to guard against racial discrimination and has submitted these developments in a report to the UN.

It did so under requirements for the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), a UN treaty which Singapore signed in October 2015 and ratified in November 2017.

The report affirms the country's commitment to eliminating racial discrimination and strengthening social harmony, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said in a statement on Nov 27.

This is a combined second to fourth report following the initial one submitted in 2018 after Singapore ratified the agreement.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo said in a foreword to the report that forging a common national identity while maintaining racial and religious harmony is of "paramount importance" to the Republic.

Singapore is fully committed to working towards a society free from racial discrimination - in line with its obligations under ICERD and another UN framework, the Sustainable Development Goal 10, on reducing inequality, he added.

The report highlights new laws that have been put in place since 2018 as well as additional efforts to support the Malay/Muslim community.

It also responded to comments on the 2018 report made by a UN committee in 2022, which included recommendations in several areas, including the criminal justice system, migrant worker rights and the situation of ethnic minorities.

The Government uses a combination of levers to "effectively combat racial discrimination and protect human rights", the report said. These include legislative safeguards and policies and programmes that protect the interests of racial minorities and encourage social mixing.

They are periodically reviewed, it added.