CAJ in collaboration with the Transitional Justice Institute (University of Ulster) and the Human Rights Centre (Queens University Belfast) invite you to attend our:
CONFERENCE
‘Mapping the Rollback? Human rights provisions of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement 15 years on’,
Great Hall, Queens University Belfast
April 26th, 2013
This full day conference is timed to coincide with the 15 anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in April 2013. Significant commitments were made in 1998 and the Agreements and commissions which flowed from it to ensure human rights (including equality) provisions were mainstreamed into the peace settlement. Whilst such a view has been checked by the flags protests, in recent times, an official ‘end of history’ narrative has emerged which seeks to project the idea that following the devolution of justice and the Assembly completing a full term, the final blocks of the peace settlement had been solidly put into place. In contrast to this, increasing concern has been expressed by CAJ and other human rights organisations that there are, at present, persistent attempts at a ‘rollback’ of the human rights provisions of the Agreements. This includes commitments made as part of the settlement which have never been implemented and areas where institutional and policy gains were made which are now being undermined. For example, as catalogued in CAJs April 2012 Just News bulletin: the failure to implement commitments to a Bill of Rights, Irish language legislation, an anti-poverty strategy and the ending of emergency legislation; retrogression or slow progress in areas of policing and justice reform or equality commitments.
This conference, featuring prominent speakers from civil society, aims to discuss and map an alternative view. Namely, that there is still plenty of unfinished business in relation to the human rights commitments made as part of the settlement designed to address long standing problems which will continue to manifest themselves if not dealt with. The conference format will involve panel discussions and specialist sessions on: Protection of Rights Frameworks, Substantive Equality, Policing, Security and Justice Reform and Dealing with the Past. Further details will be available shortly.
We would advise early booking for this event on Eventbrite.