A/HRC/41/54/Add.2 Race Disparity Audit 16. The Race Disparity Audit 24 commissioned by Prime Minister Theresa May in August 2016 aims to publish data on disparities in treatment and outcomes in public services for all races and ethnicities for England and for the devolved nations for sectors that remain reserved to Westminster. 25 This is a remarkable step towards transforming formal commitments to racial equality into reality as it makes visible the entrenched inequalities and structural forms of discrimination and exclusion that continue to be experienced by certain racial and ethnic groups. Official data, notwithstanding its shortcomings, is crucial for understanding how race and ethnicity in England and Wales fundamentally affect life, death, health, education and employment, among other aspects. The Special Rapporteur commends the Government for carrying out the Race Disparity Audit, which responds to the continuing call by numerous human rights bodies to gather ethnically disaggregated data as an important step towards effectively addressing racial discrimination and racism. 17. The Race Disparity Audit, which should be understood as a work in progress, has a number of significant shortcomings. Civil society has highlighted the absence of a unified comprehensive government strategy for eliminating the disparities identified through the Audit. A strategy of this nature is urgently needed, and its development must benefit from the active and meaningful participation of racial and ethnic minority communities. Others have also highlighted that such a strategy should formalize the role of the Race Disparity Unit, which is part of the Cabinet Office, and the inter-ministerial group on race disparity in order to enhance enforcement, coordination and oversight of departmental plans designed to eliminate the disparities identified. The Special Rapporteur urges the formal inclusion of civil society and representatives of racial and ethnic minority communities in these processes, including in decision-making. 18. With respect to the scope of the initial Audit, some interlocutors have noted the failure of the Audit to capture racial disparities rooted in laws and policies relating to immigration, counter-extremism and counter-terrorism. In light of the impact of these laws and policies on racial equality, the Government’s failure to include these frameworks within the ambit of the Audit fundamentally undermines the stated commitment to racial equality. 19. In addition, civil society representatives have raised concerns over the completeness, quality, consistency and comparability of the data collected by government departments. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, in particular, have expressed concern about the disparate definitions of ethnic groupings used by various departments, as well as about historical and systematic omissions in data collection that risk underrepresenting the extent of their marginalization. The absence of data on these particular communities can be observed in all nations and is symptomatic of the state of invisibility, marginalization and exclusion that have long been endured by Gypsies, Roma and Travellers. III. Racial equality: lived experiences 20. The structural socioeconomic exclusion of racial and ethnic minority communities in the United Kingdom is striking. In August 2016, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published the largest-ever review into race inequality in England, Wales and Scotland. 26 In the report, the Commission outlined alarming findings on how race and ethnicity shape outcomes in every area of people’s lives, including education, employment, housing, pay and living standards, health, criminal justice and participation. The 24 25 26 6 The database containing data gathered through the Audit is currently in beta mode and is available on the “ethnicity facts and figures” web page at www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk. Currently, the Race Disparity Audit covers England and Wales almost exclusively. Data pertaining to the devolved nations are included in areas that are not devolved (www.ethnicity-factsfigures.service.gov.uk/background). www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/healing_a_divided_britain__the_need_for_a_comprehensive_race_equality_strategy_final.pdf.