Dismantling Structural Racism: A Guide to Malta's 2025-2030 Strategy

Malta’s National Action Plan Against Racism envisions an inclusive and fair society with zero tolerance for racism and xenophobia. 

Launched in November 2025, the strategy relies on a whole-of-government and intersectional approach to eliminate structural inequalities and foster a harmonious multicultural society.

To strengthen legal and governance frameworks, the plan outlines the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution to handle discrimination cases and a review of the Criminal Code to ensure severe hate speech is properly criminalized. It also embeds anti-racism into government operations through dedicated working groups and intra-ministerial action plans.

The strategy heavily targets hate crimes and online hate speech by improving data collection systems and boosting digital literacy among youths. Furthermore, extensive training will be provided to law enforcement, legal professionals, educators and public officers to build cultural competency and ensure equitable practices.

Source: Free picture from Pexels.com

Emphasizing the importance of community representation, the plan introduces Anti-Racism Ambassadors and an annual Anti-Racism Week to foster dialogue and visibility. It also addresses structural racism by promoting workplace diversity audits and encouraging fair recruitment and progression for racialized individuals.

The plan adopts zero-tolerance policies targeting specific prejudices, including anti-Muslim hatred, antisemitism, antigypsyism and racism against people of African descent. Recognizing that discrimination often overlaps, it aligns with existing national strategies to support LGBTIQ+ individuals, women, youths and people with disabilities from minority backgrounds.

Finally, the action plan commits to funding local research on issues like racial profiling and the socioeconomic costs of racism. The implementation of these initiatives will be closely monitored, featuring annual progress discussions and a formal mid-term review scheduled for 2027.

The National Plan Against Racism can be found here : https://humanrights.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/NAPAR-2025-2030.pdf