Posted 11.01.2021

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland welcome new roles from 1 January 2021 to oversee the Government’s commitment to protecting equality and human rights in a post Brexit Northern Ireland.

Under the Ireland/NI Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement reached with the EU, the UK Government has committed to ensuring no reduction of rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity provisions as committed to in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement as the UK withdraws from the EU.

The Government has also committed to ensuring that, if certain EU equality laws are changed after 1 January 2021 to improve the protection of rights, then Northern Ireland will keep pace with those changes. Both Commissions have been charged with overseeing this commitment. 

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