The Right to Health of People of African Descent:

We welcome you to the continuation of a crucial dialogue on racism, discrimination, and health, beginning with opening statements from distinguished guests from the European Commission and the Dutch Government.

Today’s discussion about racism and discrimination takes place in the context of the EU Anti-racism Action Plan. Vanessa Kabuta of the European Commission expands on this policy instrument’s components, focusing specifically on its health-related aspects and challenges.

Action on the national level is crucial to drive change on the ground. Rabin S. Baldewsingh – the
Dutch National Coordinator Against Discrimination and Racism – plays a key role in the Dutch anti-racism action plan, and elaborates on considerations around discrimination, racism and health in the Netherlands.

The first panel discussion focuses on the effects of racism on mental health and trauma, highlighting how racism against People of African Descent can lead to manifestations of mental ill-health. The session takes an intersectional approach, including perspectives such as migration, maternal health and the importance of personal narratives.

Health insurance is an important element in access to healthcare. By analysing examples of challenges in accessing health insurance for People of African Descent in the Netherlands, De Hofnar illustrates how such access can be improved to help implement the Right to Health.

The second panel discussion elaborates on culturally appropriate healthcare and the needs of specific communities. This includes a focus on the structural nature of racism and discrimination, which leads to issues such as a lack of trust in the healthcare system, misdiagnosis and disproportionate disease burdens faced by People of African Descent.

This is followed by a questions and answers session.

To develop a comprehensive approach to anti- racism and anti-discrimination in health, we turn to the expertise of the audience. Participants are encouraged to identify challenges and discuss practical solutions across sectors and levels of society to improve access to healthcare and reduce health inequities for People of African Descent. In a constructive conversation we explore how the discussed topics could feed into the EU Anti-racism action plan.

Jacqueline Bowman-Busato concludes the first day with a summary of its key takeaways, structuring thoughts and ideas to prepare for the discussion of the second day.

Wrapping up the presentations of the first half of the day on equality data, this interactive session’s purpose is to take a step towards concrete solutions. We explore how the lessons from the Dutch and German case studies can be translated to policy action. We further discuss EU policy context implications, for example how it informs national anti-racism action plans, and their related indicators. By highlighting challenges and opportunities, we get an idea on how indicator use and data collection can be developed and reproduced on a wider scale. 

We conclude two days of rich discussion with a consultation to add further considerations. Mila Paspalanova introduces this session with a recap on a human rights-based approach to policy. Afterwards, we open the floor for input. Participants are encouraged to share their (prepared) interventions to ensure the conference’s reporting is as comprehensive as possible. 

Jacqueline provides the closing words of the conference, repeating key take-aways to bring structure and a red threat to the topics discussed, anticipating the recommendations that will be put together after the event. The conference is then officially closed.

• Jacqueline Bowman-Busato