SINGAPORE, Dec 7 — While there are "positive aspects” of Singapore’s efforts to eliminate racial discrimination, some areas of concern remain, a United Nations committee has found.

These include claims that law-and-order officers engage in racial profiling, the health status of minorities as well as movement restrictions imposed on foreign workers in dormitories, it said, following its first review of Singapore’s efforts to eliminate racial discrimination here.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released its concluding observations last Friday (December 3) after assessing Singapore’s implementation of an international treaty to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.

Called the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd), the treaty requires countries to condemn all forms of racial discrimination and fulfil treaty obligations.

Singapore ratified the treaty in 2017 and submitted its first state report on the measures it was undertaking to the committee the following year.

The Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) heads the inter-ministry task force on Icerd.

Several civil society organisations here had also submitted their own shadow reports to the UN committee ahead of the review.

The review of Singapore’s efforts took place in Geneva, Switzerland on Nov 18 and 19. A multi-agency delegation from Singapore led by Dr Maliki Osman, who is Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs and a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, attended the review.

The following are some points that were raised in the committee’s seven-page concluding observations.

‘Positive aspects’

The committee expressed its "appreciation for the constructive dialogue” with Singapore’s delegation in Geneva.

It noted several positive aspects in Singapore’s efforts to eliminate discrimination. These include: