27 May 2022
The Queen’s Speech and Human Rights The Queen’s Speech opening a new session of Parliament was delivered on the 10 May. It presented a lengthy list of legislative proposals that the government intends to take forward in this next session of Parliament. Unfortunately, the speech contained some very unwelcome announcements from a human rights perspective. We […]
Read More
17 December 2021
The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (referred to as ‘the Protocol’) is a Protocol (or a formal international agreement) of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union (known as the UK Withdrawal Agreement). As a legal document the Protocol recognizes the unique situation of […]
Read More
18 November 2021
Nearly a year after the end of the transition period (31 December 2020), the Northern Ireland/Ireland Protocol is at the centre of continuing political instability and divisions. While the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) appear on face value to be united in their desire to overcome their ongoing disagreements regarding the Protocol, the […]
Read More
15 March 2021
After a very protracted process the EU and UK finally agreed to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on Christmas Eve 2020. The TCA document itself runs to over 1,200 pages and contains many important elements that relate to the future UK approach to human rights. To distil some of these elements the Consortium has […]
Read More
18 February 2021
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK clearly helped to avoid the chaos anticipated by a No Deal Brexit that would have created extensive trade barriers and tariffs between the two trading zones. But as the agreement was reached so close to the end of the transition period, there are also […]
Read More
19 November 2020
Briefing note for the Biden-Harris Transition Team: Brexit and the protection of the Good Friday Agreement, human rights and equality laws in Northern Ireland Representatives of civic society groups from across the island of Ireland welcome the President-elect’s continued support for the Good Friday Agreement, most recently reaffirmed in his congratulatory calls with An Taoiseach […]
Read More
21 September 2020
CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS WARN UK GOVERNMENT NOT TO THREATEN GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT THROUGH INTERNAL MARKET BILL Representatives from a wide range of civil society groups met with officials from the UK Government on Friday (18th September) and registered our strong protest at the terms of the Internal Market Bill which directly breaches the Ireland/Northern Ireland […]
Read More
19 August 2020
UNDER THE RADAR: Key concerns with recent UK Govt Brexit consultations With the end of the Transition Period fast-approaching (31 December 2020) the UK government in recent weeks has moved to advance a number of important public consultations on Brexit related issues that it clearly wishes to see resolved before the end of the transition period. […]
Read More
06 July 2020
6 August 2020, 10am First in a series of webinars examining human rights issues that have been brought into sharp focus by the COVID-19 pandemic. About this Event Around 350,000 workers in Northern Ireland have dependent children. Of these, around 70% have ‘intensive childcare requirements’.* The Executive has indicated that childcare is a critical priority […]
Read More
13 November 2019
In May of this year the Consortium hosted a major conference in Belfast in collaboration with colleagues from the Wales Civil Society Forum on Brexit and the Civil Society Brexit Project in Scotland. The Brexit and Devolution conference brought NGO colleagues, academics and politicians together from across the UK and the Republic of Ireland to […]
Read More