A Life in Politics: Advocating for Human Rights and Equality 

The Labour peer, Lord Alf Dubs, will be in Belfast on Thursday to attend a special event to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. The event has been organised by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, and will see Lord Alf Dubs in conversation with journalist and broadcaster, William Crawley.

Lord Alf Dubs will speak on: 'A life in Politics: Advocating for Human Rights and Equality' to full house at Riddel Hall, Queen's University Belfast.
 
Ahead of Thursday's event, Lord Alf Dubs commented:

“It is great to come back to Northern Ireland to speak on the important subject of rights and equality. Having been in post during the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement I am clear that the protection of rights and equality continues to be a crucial element of maintaining a peaceful society. As political leaders we must never lose sight of this.”

Chief Commissioner for the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael Wardlow commented:

“I am delighted that Lord Dubs has agreed to come and talk about his long and extremely interesting life in politics – particularly appropriate when the political landscape is so turbulent at present. I first met Lord Dubs when he was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State here and it was clear to me then how much Northern Ireland meant to him. I am really looking forward to hearing some more about the man I have so long admired, in his own words!”

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Chief Commissioner, Les Allamby, added:

"We look forward to hosting Lord Alf Dubs at Riddel Hall on Thursday. Lord Dubs has had a significant impact on political life through his political career. He has made significant contributions in the fields of housing and on asylum and refugee issues, most recently on the issue of granting the right to unaccompanied asylum seekers to come to the UK. He has a longstanding interest and affection for Northern Ireland long after his time as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We are pleased to partner with the Equality Commission for what promises to be a fantastic evening to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement."
 

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Notes to editors

1.    The event will run from 4:30pm to 6pm on Thursday 17 May at Riddel Hall, Queen's University Belfast, Stranmillis Road, Belfast.

Running Order

4pm                 Refreshments

4.30pm          Welcome by ECNI Chief Commissioner Dr Michael Wardlow

4.35pm          William Crawley in conversation with Lord Dubs 

5.35pm          Q&A

5.55pm          Closing remarks by NIHRC Chief Commissioner Les Allamby

6pm                 Event close 


2. Both the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland were established by the Northern Ireland Act (1998). The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory body first proposed in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement (1998), and is answerable to Parliament at Westminster. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is a non-departmental public body which has duties to provide protection against various forms of discrimination. It also has responsibilities in respect of the statutory equality and good relations duties which apply to public authorities.

3. Lord (Alf) Dubs was born in December 1932 in Prague, and was one of the Czech children rescued from the Nazis in the Kindertransport. He has since been a keen campaigner on the plight of refugees:  Alf Dubs studied at the London School of Economics before working as a local government officer. In the course of a long career in public service he has been a local councillor, an MP, Chair of the Fabian Society, Chair of Liberty, a trustee of Action Aid, Director of the Refugee Council and a trustee of the Immigration Advisory Service. 

Lord Dubs was elected as a Labour MP in the 1979 general election as a member of parliament for Battersea South and at the 1983 election for Battersea. In 1994 he was appointed as Labour Life Peer. He was the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Northern Ireland on Environment and Agriculture (1997-1999) and Chair of Labour Peers (2000-2005). He was also a member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights from 2007-2012, and has sat on the EU External Affairs Sub-Committee since 2015. In 2016, Lord Dubs sponsored an amendment to the Immigration Act 2016 - named the Dubs Amendment - to enable a number of unaccompanied refugee children safe passage to the UK.