Publications

Below you’ll find a comprehensive library of the Equality Coalition’s reports, submissions and other publications. These documents are produced in collaboration with our members.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Submission by the Equality Coalition to the draft Programme for Government Consultation
The Equality Coalition has submitted our response to the draft Programme for Government consultation.

Our response focuses on:

Programme for Government legal framework
The previous draft PfG in the New Decade New Approach deal
The 2024 PfG consultation
Equality Coalition members ‘asks’ for areas in the PfG

To read our response, click here.

Equality Coalition Committee for Communities Oral Evidence
On 25 April, the Equality Coalition gave evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Communities on the Anti-Poverty Strategy. Daniel Holder (CAJ), John-Patrick Clayton (UNISON), Becca Bor (Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network) and Trása Canavan (Barnardo’s) represented the Coalition. They spoke about the duty to adopt an Anti-Poverty Strategy, judicial reviews of the Northern Ireland Executive and the 2020-2022 Mandate to present. The Committee agreed to:

1. Send a letter to the Department for Communities and to the Executive expressing Committee concerns around the delay in bringing forward an Anti-Poverty Strategy, to ask what the reasons are for the delay and to ask for the Department’s view on the risk of potential legal action in relation to the continued failure to bring forward a strategy in line with its statutory obligation.

2. Send a letter to all Departments to ask if they have taken poverty into account when considering their budgets and to ask if they have liaised with the Minister for Communities on the need to introduce an antipoverty strategy as soon as possible.

To read our written evidence, click here.

To watch the evidence session (2:22:50), click here

Seminar Report: How could minority and women’s rights be protected in a united Ireland?
Published 15 May 2024

On 15th November 2023, the Equality Coalition and the Transitional Justice Institute, with support from the LSE Gender, Justice and Security Hub, hosted a seminar which discussed how the rights of minorities and women could be protected in a United Ireland. The seminar consisted of two panels. Panel one covered issues around post-unification cross-border constitutionalism, unionist rights in a united Ireland and linguistic minority rights in a united Ireland. Panel two discussed how to define, guarantee and protect women’s rights in a united Ireland and women’s participation in constitutional change.

Our seminar report is now available for download here.

Seminar Report: Could rights-based safeguards make Stormont functional?
Published 15 May 2024

On 13th October 2023, the Equality Coalition and the Transitional Justice Institute, with support from the LSE Gender, Justice and Security Hub, hosted a seminar which explored whether rights-based safeguards could make Stormont functional. The seminar consisted of two panels. Panel one covered a range of issues including a Bill of Rights, Stormont vetoes, and judicial interventions. Panel two covered issues around abortion, gender and policy-making, and featured a comparative discussion on the Dayton Accords and the Good Friday Agreement.

Our seminar report is now available for download here.

Progressing an anti-poverty strategy for Northern Ireland – Seminar report
Published 29 January 2024

On 28 June 2023, the Equality Coalition, Barnardo’s NI, and the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network (NIAPN) held a joint seminar calling for the development of an anti-poverty strategy to be a day one priority for the next NI Executive. ‘Progressing an anti-poverty strategy for Northern Ireland’ took place at Stormont and was sponsored by MLAs from five political parties. Northern Ireland has been waiting for an anti-poverty strategy for almost twenty years following a commitment arising from the 2006 St Andrews Agreement legislation. During the seminar, expert speakers examined what progress has been made to date in developing the strategy, while also considering what needs to be included within the strategy to make it as effective as possible.

A comprehensive report from the seminar has now been compiled and can be downloaded here.

Progressing an anti-poverty strategy for Northern Ireland – Briefing note
Published June 2023

The Equality Coalition, Barnardo’s NI, and the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network (NIAPN) have produced a joint briefing note calling for the development of an anti-poverty strategy to be a day one priority for the next NI Executive. The three organisations launched the briefing at a seminar held in Stormont on Wednesday 28 June 2023. Northern Ireland has already been waiting for an anti-poverty strategy for almost twenty years.

Policy Asks 2022
Launched January 2022

The Equality Coalition has developed a series of ‘Policy Asks’ for Northern Ireland, which have a particular emphasis on rights and equality. These ‘asks’ are based on a recent mapping exercise examining the status of rights-based commitments from the agreements of the NI peace process.

Submission in relation to the ECNI draft legal assistance policy
Published September 2021

The Equality Coalition for NI (ECNI) recently consulted on their new (draft) Policy for the Provision of Legal Advice and Assistance. In response, we produced a submission suggesting a number of changes to the draft document. Our recommendations focus primarily on encouraging ECNI to use their enforcement powers strategically and proactively going forwards.

Generic submission to draft equality schemes out for consultation in 2021
Published August 2021

Since the advent of Section 75, the Equality Coalition has engaged extensively with public authorities in relation to their equality schemes. In 2016, when a number of reorganised public authorities were consulting on their schemes, we drafted a generic submission to provide advice to them on best practice. This submission has now been updated for 2021 as a number of public bodies are once again working on updating their schemes.

Briefing summarising the Expert Advisory Panel reports on the social inclusion strategies
Published May 2021

In March 2021, the Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey published the reports of four Expert Advisory Panels to help inform the development of the new social inclusion strategies for Northern Ireland. We have drafted a short briefing paper summarising each of the four reports and their key recommendations.

Submission on Programme for Government outcomes and draft budget
Published February 2021

We have finalised our submission on the Programme for Government (PfG) outcomes and draft budget (including departmental screenings/EQIAs). Given their interlinking nature, this submission responds to a number of different, concurrent consultations at once. Our submission examines the rights and equality implications of current plans, including whether the Section 75 statutory equality duty has been applied adequately throughout the budgetary process. We include recommendations for each department in the NI Executive, as well as the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), drawing attention to outstanding issues that still need to be addressed.

Stormont’s vetoes in the context of a pandemic – An Equality Coalition briefing note
Published November 2020

In 2019, our Manifesto for a Rights Based Return to Power Sharing called for a new agreement to remove those political vetoes within the NI Executive that are not based on (and have conflicted with) equality and rights duties, and as such contributed to the destabilisation and collapse of the NI Executive in 2017. The issue returned to prominence in November 2020 with the DUP twice using the ‘St Andrews Veto’ to block the extension of public health measures proposed by the Health Minister to contain the pandemic, which were supported by all other parties. In response, the Equality Coalition has produced a briefing note setting out the human rights implications of the veto being used in this way.

Written Evidence to the NI Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on the Bill of Rights from the Equality Coalition Co-Conveners
Published October 2020

A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland was first promised in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, but progress towards its development has repeatedly stalled. The establishment of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Bill of Rights at Stormont represents a fresh attempt to move things forward. On 22 October 2020, the Co-Conveners of the Equality Coalition (CAJ and UNISON) gave a briefing to the Ad Hoc Committee in support of the Bill of Rights. You can download the written evidence we provided to Committee members here. Minutes from the session are also available online.

Equality Proofing the Return to School – Briefing Paper
Published September 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has had far reaching impacts on all aspects of NI society, not least education, with most pupils being withdrawn from school for five months due to the strict lockdown period and the subsequent summer break. As staff and students begin the new school term, we must ensure that their return to school is carried out in a way that is safe for everyone, with all decisions subjected to appropriate Section 75 assessment processes to ensure they promote equality of opportunity.

The Equality Coalition’s Education Sub-Group has put together a briefing paper to highlight to decision makers how to ‘equality proof’ the return to school. Download it here.

Sectarianism: The Key Facts
Published February 2020

Commissioned by the Equality Coalition, independent researcher Dr Robbie McVeigh has authored a piece of research on contemporary sectarianism in Northern Ireland. Across 50 pages, Sectarianism: The Key Facts looks at ‘institutional sectarianism’ in NI – especially where there is evidence of sectarianism in decision-making.

The full report can be downloaded via this link.

Defining Public Duties to Tackle Incitement to Hatred whilst Respecting Freedom of Expression: Reviewing the Legal & Policy Framework – Conference Report
Published October 2019

A one-day conference was held on 13 October 2017 to explore, from a human rights perspective, when public authorities can or must act against speech and cultural expression in order to protect the rights of others. The event was organised by the Equality Coalition, with support from the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. It was comprised of presentations, panel discussions and a series of afternoon workshops, all exploring different themes related to the legal framework (both local and international) on countering incitement to hatred.

From the proceedings of this conference, a comprehensive 90 page report has been published. Download it here.

Post-Brexit Citizenship Status: Divided by the Rules? – Conference Report
Published June 2019

In March 2019, the Equality Coalition, in partnership with BrexitLawNI, held a major conference on ‘Post-Brexit Citizenship Status: Divided by the Rules?’ in the Moot Court Room at Queen’s University Belfast. Featuring expert practioner and political panels, the conference explored how Brexit will transform the citizenship landscape in Northern Ireland and could lead to hardened entitlement boundaries between different groups of citizens here.

A 60 page report has been produced from the proceedings of the conference. You can download a digital version of the report here. Hard copies are available upon request by emailing equalitycoalition@caj.org.uk or calling 028 9031 6000.

Response to consultation on ECNI’s complaints and investigation procedures
Published May 2019

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) has been reviewing and revising the procedures related to its enforcement (investigation) powers. These powers enable ECNI to investigate public bodies that fail to comply with their Section 75 duties. In March 2019, ECNI launched a public consultation on its (draft) ‘Revised Policy and Procedures for Complaints and Investigations’. The Equality Coalition responded to this consultation with a detailed written submission, which raises several issues that we strongly urge ECNI to rectify.

Submission available for download here.

Manifesto for a Rights Based Return to Power Sharing
Published April 2019

More than two years have elapsed since the devolved power sharing institutions provided for under the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) collapsed in Northern Ireland. Additionally, many of the rights based commitments of the peace settlement, including those originally designed as to act as safeguards on the NI Executive and Assembly, remain unimplemented or have been misimplemented. Fresh cross-party talks to restore power sharing have been announced for May 2019. However, there is little point in restoring the institutions only for them to fail to deliver and collapse again for the same reasons. Conscious of this, the Equality Coalition has developed a ‘Manifesto for a Rights Based Return to Power Sharing’.

Follow this link to download the manifesto. An Irish language version has also been published, with help from Conradh na Gaeilge. A larger font version in either language is available upon request – email equalitycoalition@caj.org.uk or call 028 9031 6000.