Dr Lilian Seenoi-Barr addressed the Stormont Executive Office Committee this week on the Draft Framework Race Relations and Delivery Plan 2026-2028.

She stated that racism in Northern Ireland is a serious and urgent societal crisis that has left communities deeply fearful.

Seenoi-Barr said the 2005 Racial Equality Strategy contained an action plan and achievable objectives that the current draft lacks.

She welcomed the framework's recognition of racism, hate crime, access to public services and the need for updated race relations legislation.

However she argued that recognition alone is insufficient without actions, accountability and resources.

Seenoi-Barr called for the framework to be revised and reframed as an anti-racism and racial equality framework.

She recommended that the revised document include clear definitions of institutional racism, structural racism, anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-Traveller racism, anti-Roma racism and xenophobia.

Seenoi-Barr said the urgency of the issue affects whether children feel safe and whether young people see a future in Northern Ireland.