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 […]
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22 October 2019
The UK’s withdrawal from the EU is the biggest constitutional shift in Northern Ireland since our devolution settlement. The EU (Withdrawal Amendment) Bill is a major piece of constitutional law and the UK Government’s planned agenda will push this through parliament with minimal scrutiny and no time for MPs and Peers to engage with the […]
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21 October 2019
All about the Backstop The changes in the revised UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement are focused on the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol. The paper below gives a brief overview of our initial first thoughts on what this means. While the rest of the Withdrawal Agreement sets out the rules for the transition period until the UK and EU agree their future trading relationship, the revised protocol is […]
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06 June 2019
#BrexitDevo Recently, the Human Rights Consortium hosted a Brexit, Devolution and Civil Society Conference with Wales Council for Voluntary Action, the Human Rights Consortium Scotland and The Legal Education Foundation. This conference was a two-day event that provided a unique opportunity for civil society organisations from across the four regions of the UK to reflect on the impact […]
Read More22 May 2019
Only a few weeks after our Local Elections and we are now approaching the European Parliament Elections 2019. The Human Rights Consortium has looked at the manifesto pledges and Brexit policies of the 11 candidates who have put themselves forward for election across Northern Ireland. This resource will highlight several issues related to human rights and […]
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16 April 2019
Rights after Brexit The Human Rights Consortium has submitted Evidence to the House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee inquiry into Rights after Brexit. The inquiry seeks to examine the future framework for and potential risks to rights after Brexit. The Consortium in its submission directly addressed the inquiries call for evidence on the impact of the […]
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10 December 2018
Today, International Human Rights Day, marks 70 years since the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) at the United Nations on 10th December 1948. The preamble of the UDHR begins by stating that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family […]
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10 April 2018
(This personal reflection is a cross posted article from the Irish News and RightsNI) 20 years ago today I sat with friends in our student accommodation in Belfast and watched as politicians emerged to announce the new peace deal that was the Good Friday Agreement. We were all students at Queens, had grown up in the […]
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10 January 2018
The Human Rights Consortium has launched a new report which highlights the inherent risks to the enjoyment of existing human rights in Northern Ireland from the process of the UK leaving the EU. The report ‘RIGHTS AT RISK – Brexit, Human Rights and Northern Ireland‘ is the product of extensive research by the Consortium with its […]
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07 September 2017
As the UK government proceeds with the introduction of legislation to retain EU law in domestic UK legislation through the EU Withdrawal Bill the Human Rights Consortium and other civil society organisations have highlighted fundamental flaws with the legislation that could lead to a weakening of human rights protections and undermine elements of the Northern […]
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