S461 How many of the current negotiation issues could be dealt with by the NI Bill of Rights?
Published:
March 15, 2017
Policy Area(s):Democratic Governance
Keywords:Bill of Rights, Peace Process
CAJ Discussion Note March 2017
Next year will mark 20 years since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement (GFA) mandated an ECHR+1 Bill of Rights to reflect the ‘particular circumstances of Northern Ireland’ and 10 years since the Human Rights Commission delivered is final GFA-mandated advice as to its content.
The NI Bill of Rights remains one of the most significant pieces of unfinished business of the Agreements; what this note explores is the range of some of the other outstanding and new crisis issues that could be dealt with through the vehicle of the Bill of Rights. Such a process could take the Bill of Rights as it stands in the Advice given by the Human Rights Commission or also consider how this advice might be updated and augmented to reflect changed circumstances.
- Impact of BREXIT – a new ‘particular circumstance’
- Flags and identity
- Equality legislation and duties
- Legacy of the NI ‘Troubles’
