#MakeOurFutureFair Human Rights Manifesto

July 2, 2024

The Human Rights Consortium has launched our #MakeOurFutureFair Human Rights Manifesto social media campaign, calling on the next UK Government to prioritise, defend & extend human rights in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

We are calling on the next UK Government to:

Deliver a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland

We call on the next UK Government to Make Our Future Fair by delivering a strong and inclusive Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland via Westminster legislation. This outstanding commitment from the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement to create new rights obligations and safeguards remains fundamental to making the Stormont system of governance effective and sustainable.

Defend and adhere to Article 2 of the Windsor Framework

We call on the next UK Government and Parliament to comply with its international obligations and the rule of law by adhering to its commitment to the non-diminution of rights in Northern Ireland. The development of all Westminster policies and legislation that impact on Northern Ireland must consider and comply with the obligations arising under Article 2 at an early formative stage.

Protect the Human Rights Act and ECHR

We call on the next UK Government and Parliament to recommit to the centrality of the Human Rights Act and the European Convention of Human Rights to the governance of the United Kingdom. This includes ensuring that all policies and legislation developed by the Government and Parliament are compatible with these standards and that legislation already introduced that violates the HRA/ECHR, including the Legacy Act, Illegal Migration Act, Rwanda Act and many others are immediately repealed.

Revitalise devolution

We call on the next UK Government to protect and revitalise devolution by delivering structural human rights-based reforms to ensure that people’s rights are protected regardless of the status of our institutions. We must never again be forced to watch as our standards of protection continue to fall because of political disagreements and standoffs. The Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly were absent for nearly half of the time since the 2019 election and we need legal duties at the heart of our governance which ensure a bare minimum threshold of rights for everyone.

Protect human rights

We call on the next UK Government to embed compliance with international and regional human rights standards in all aspects of its lawmaking, policy development and budgeting. This means upholding and protecting the Human Rights Act/ECHR, ensuring that important areas like social security, immigration, housing, health, education and others are human rights-compliant and maintaining or expanding rights protections following withdrawal from the European Union. It also involves integrating commitments from international human rights treaties into domestic legislation, grabbing opportunities to enhance protections, and establishing mechanisms for monitoring and accountability.

You can support the campaign by downloading and sharing the images below #MakeOurFutureFair