Resetting the Relationship? – Launch of the Partnership Agreement

09 September 2025

The launch of the new Partnership Agreement between government and the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland offers a timely and much-needed opportunity to reset how these two groups work together. The Agreement sets out the shared values that are supposed to shape that relationship moving forward. Accountability Active Participation Social Justice Independence Collaboration Sustainability […]

Two hands are shaking. One has the words 'Civil Society' while the other has the words 'Public Sector'.

Article 2 training programme launched

19 May 2025

The Human Rights Consortium are now offering specific training on Article 2 of the Windsor Framework. The training is designed specifically for civil society groups in Northern Ireland to provide comprehensive guidance on the implications of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework. The Windsor Framework, an essential component of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, safeguards human […]

Picture of the sea and the words Article 2 training

Gender Pay Gap Proposals must meet Windsor Framework obligations

14 March 2025

The Human Rights Consortium (HRC) has made a submission to the Department for Communities’ consultation on The Gender Pay Gap Information Regulations and called for progress on the Gender Pay gap to keep pace with EU developments in this field in line with current duties under the Windsor Framework. As a coalition dedicated to promoting […]

Two equal piles of coins. One with a carboard woman on top and the other with a cardboard man. A person is placing their hands either side of both sets of coins.

Statement on the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly

05 February 2024

The Human Rights Consortium has welcomed the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and has called for the Executive to place the progression of human rights in Northern Ireland as a core priority of its work. The two-year absence of the Assembly has compounded existing challenges and inequalities faced by people in Northern Ireland. The […]

A Celebration of Maggie McBride – NIHRF 2023

06 December 2023

We at the Consortium formally dedicate the 2023 Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival in memory of our good friend and colleague Maggie McBride and send our best wishes and love to all her friends and family. Maggie McBride was the Administrator at the Human Rights Consortium for over 16 years, from 2006 until her sudden […]

The Windsor Framework: the Good, the Bad and the Untested

29 September 2023

The Windsor Framework, and the Protocol that came before it, were developed and negotiated between the EU and the UK to manage the new regulatory framework in Northern Ireland resulting from the UK’s exit from the EU, while maintaining the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement commitments to cross-border cooperation and to maintaining the Common Travel Area between […]

Header image featuring a test paper and pencil. Text reads: "Windsor Framework, The Good, the Band and the Untested"

Human Rights and the Illegal Bill on Migration – Watch It Back

03 July 2023

On Friday the 23rd of June, to round off a week of events held across civil society for Refugee Week 2023, the Human Rights Consortium held an event on the so-called Illegal Migration Bill – which we’ve dubbed the Illegal Bill on Migration – alongside our colleagues in the Public Interest Litigation Support (PILS) Project […]

Lessons from Scotland and Wales: Incorporating international human rights standards in Northern Ireland

03 July 2023

Lessons from Scotland and Wales: Incorporating international human rights standards in Northern Ireland The Human Rights Consortium recently held an online conference which brought together academics and civil society representatives to explore the advances made in Scotland and Wales to incorporate international human rights treaties and standards into domestic law and what the lessons could […]

‘5 Tests’ for the Protocol Deal – Press Release

27 February 2023

The Brexit and Human Rights Working Group, convened and chaired by the Human Rights Consortium, has released their ‘5 Tests’ for the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol Deal, focusing on the key commitments on rights and equality protections contained within the Protocol. A fair Protocol deal to protect human rights must: Make no changes to Article 2 […]

NI Protocol Bill (it’s still kickin’!) – HRC Written Evidence

23 November 2022

As the law-breaking NI Protocol Bill continues its steady passage through the House of Lords, their EU Affairs Sub-Committee wrapped up its scrutiny of the Bill by publishing all written evidence received and sending a letter to the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly MP, outlining their concerns with the Bill and the engagement they had undertaken. […]

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