You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Equality' tag.
Racism, xenophobia and intolerance are problems prevalent in all societies. Each and every one of us plays a role in either contributing to or breaking down racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes.
Send a message that racism is unacceptable. Download a postcard and send it to your friends.
Share this page with your social networks and ask what others are doing to fight racism.
Get involved
Tell us what you are doing to combat racism on the Let’s Fight Racism Facebook page or via Twitter using #FightRacism.
See what actions others are taking on the Let’s Fight Racism Storify page.
Take a stand against racism in your community. Join a group advocating for the rights of racial or other minorities in your own community and volunteer to help, including through online volunteering.
Learn more
Seek different perspectives through reading the writings of authors of other races or ethnicity. Read real life stories about overcoming racial discrimination.
Take this quiz to test your knowledge on human rights and discrimination and to celebrate the human rights defenders who have fought for the rights of others.
Check out the UN’s global action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Click on a thumbnail above to share an image with your friends. Ask them what they see – is there more than meets the eye?
East Lothian
The East Lothian Diversity Network brings together individuals, community organisations and groups that are interested in equality and diversity issues. Everyone is welcome to join and take part in our events!
Key focuses of the Diversity Network
- Celebration: celebrating East Lothian’s rich diversity
- Policy: helping to shape our services and practices
- Information: gathering information about the needs and ambitions of minority groups
- Campaigns: improving the understanding of equality and diversity amongst the residents of East Lothian
Become a member
You can become a member of the Network. Here are some of the benefits of signing up:
- you get to take part in a variety of events to celebrate East Lothian’s diversity
- you will learn more about equality and diversity
- you can raise issues that are of concern to you
- you can help to shape public services by sharing your experiences with policymakers
Best of all, it’s free to join!
Email equalities@eastlothian.gov.uk to register
2 Billion People, 54 Countries. One Very Special Celebration. Join us for Commonwealth Day 2012.
Every year on the second Monday in March, 54 countries join together in celebration of the links they share as members of one diverse and dynamic global family – the modern Commonwealth.
In the UK, one way in which this special day is celebrated is with a unique event in London’s Westminster Abbey. The UK’s largest multi-faith celebration, the Commonwealth Day Observance is attended by Her Majesty The Queen, the Prime Minister, High Commissioners, up to 200 other VIPs and more than 1,000 schoolchildren.
The Commonwealth Day Observance takes a different theme each year. And in 2012 we will be ‘Connecting Cultures.’ Through a thrilling mix of world music, dance and personal testimonies, the event will explore the golden threads that tie together people from every continent, faith and ethnicity.
2012 will be a special year for the Observance as it will also be kicking off the Commonwealth’s celebrations for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee – marking both 60 years as the UK Monarch and 60 years as Head of the Commonwealth.
If you’re from a school, have a look at the schools page here for suggestions on how to get involved and incorporate Commonwealth Day in your class room.
Visit www.commonwealththeme.org for more information on Commonwealth Day, and how you can get involved in celebrating the 2012 theme, Connecting Cultures.
EMPOWER RURAL WOMEN –
END HUNGER AND POVERTY.
“Invest in rural women. Eliminate discrimination against them in law and in practice. Ensure that policies respond to their needs. Give them equal access to resources. Provide rural women with a role in decision-making.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
International Women’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world on 8th March each year. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.
Recognizing the critical role and contribution of rural women, the theme of International Women’s Day 2012 is Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty.
Key contributors to global economies, rural women play a critical role in both developed and developing nations — they enhance agricultural and rural development, improve food security and can help reduce poverty levels in their communities. In some parts of the world, women represent 70 percent of the agricultural workforce, comprising 43 percent of agricultural workers worldwide.
Estimates reveal that if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30 percent, lifting 100-150 million out of hunger.
Healthcare, education, gender inequality and limited access to credit, however, have posed a number of challenges for rural women. Further, the global food and economic crisis and climate change have aggravated the situation. It is estimated that 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls. Yet, the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates reveal that productivity gains from ensuring equal access to fertilizers, seeds and tools for women could reduce the number of hungry people by between 100 million and 150 million.
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid “pass laws”. Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination (resolution 2142 (XXI)).
Since then, the apartheid system in South Africa has been dismantled. Racist laws and practices have been abolished in many countries, and we have built an international framework for fighting racism, guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Convention is now nearing universal ratification, yet still, in all regions, too many individuals, communities and societies suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings.
The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reminds us of our collective responsibility for promoting and protecting this ideal.
The East Lothian Diversity Network brings together individuals, community organisations and groups that are interested in equality and diversity issues. Everyone is welcome to join and take part in our events!
Key focuses of the Diversity Network
- Celebration: celebrating East Lothian’s rich diversity
- Policy: helping to shape our services and practices
- Information: gathering information about the needs and ambitions of minority groups
- Campaigns: improving the understanding of equality and diversity amongst the residents of East Lothian
Become a member
You can become a member of the Network. Here are some of the benefits of signing up:
- you get to take part in a variety of events to celebrate East Lothian’s diversity
- you will learn more about equality and diversity
- you can raise issues that are of concern to you
- you can help to shape public services by sharing your experiences with policymakers
Best of all, it’s free to join!
Email equalities@eastlothian.gov.uk to register.
