Our 2023-24 joint Annual Report on the Implementation of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework outlines the views of the Equality Commission, and our partner the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, on the Government’s compliance with Article 2 and makes recommendations to ensure the continued protection and enhancement of human rights and equality standards in Northern Ireland.
The report highlights key developments over the past year, including significant court judgments. It also includes a summary of the Commissions’ research findings which provide a strong basis for recommendations to government.
The Equality Commission has produced policy recommendations relating to the impact of Brexit on minority ethnic and migrant people in Northern Ireland.
The recommendations were informed by the findings of an independent
research report completed in November 2022 by Pivotal Public Policy Forum.
Joint ECNI and NIHRC Briefing Paper on the EU Pay Transparency Directive: The UK Government’s dynamic alignment obligations relating to Windsor Framework Article 2
A new EU Pay Transparency Directive was adopted by EU Parliament in March 2023 and it came into force in June 2023.
The ECNI and NIHRC have progressed work to explore the extent to which this proposed Directive amends or replaces the Directive 2006/54/EC, on the Equal Treatment of Women and Men in employment and occupation in Annex 1 of the Windsor Framework.
This paper sets out two Commissions’ analysis and conclusions that the new EU Pay Transparency Directive does amend this Annex 1 Directive on Equal Treatment of Women and Men in employment and occupation. To ensure compliance with the dynamic alignment (‘keeping pace’) commitment under Article 13(3) of the Windsor Framework, any amendment or replacement of the Annex 1 Directives, requires the law in NI to be amended to ‘keep pace’ with that change.
Download briefing paper
The Equality Commission has commissioned research into the Impact of Brexit on Women in Northern Ireland. This research was undertaken by Katharine A. M. Wright, Ruth McAreavey and Rebecca Donaldson, Newcastle University.
The Report provides a high level, preliminary analysis of the actual, perceived and potential socioeconomic impacts of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on women and girls in Northern Ireland.
This is the second activity report on the joint work by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to ensure the implementation of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework from an island of Ireland perspective. The report covers October 2022 to September 2023.
Our Annual Report 2022-23 sets out the work on advising and holding the UK Government to account on the Implementation of its no diminution commitment in Article 2 of the Windsor Framework over the last year.
Speaking about the report, Geraldine McGahey, Chief Commissioner, Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and Alyson Kilpatrick, Chief Commissioner, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission said:
“The UK Government made important commitments to protect equality and human rights post Brexit. This report highlights our advice to Government on the significant legislative developments that have taken place over the last year, including The Windsor Political Declaration, the Retained EU Law Bill, the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, the Illegal Migration Bill and the potential reform of the Human Rights Act. We remain concerned about the impact of these developments on equality and human rights in Northern Ireland."
Download the report
New research, commissioned by the Equality Commission from the independent think tank Pivotal, looks at the actual, perceived, and potential socioeconomic impacts of Brexit on minority ethnic and migrant people in Northern Ireland.
The research entitled
Impact of Brexit on Minority Ethnic and Migrant People in Northern Ireland (pdf, May 2023) has found that life in Northern Ireland is much more difficult for many minority ethnic and migrant people following Brexit.
Read the press release
The policy recommendations of the three Commissions relate to the impact of Brexit on the divergence of rights and equalities that have an island of Ireland dimension. Whilst some of these recommendations are made jointly by all three Commissions, most recommendations are made solely by the Equality Commission NI and NI Human Rights Commission.
The recommendations have been informed by the findings of the research report below.
The Equality Commission and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission joint Working Paper sets out their views on the scope of equality and human rights protected under the Ireland/ Northern Ireland Protocol. This important paper focuses on the extent of the UK Government’s commitment, under Article 2 of the Protocol, to protect certain equality and human rights after Brexit. The Working Paper provides an informed position on how the non-diminution commitment will work in practice and on the types of rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity protections that could potentially fall under the Article 2 commitment.
This report analyses current structures and identifies recommendations for reform of UK Parliament and NI Assembly mechanisms and processes so as to ensure that there can be effective scrutiny of the UK Government’s compliance with its commitment under Article 2(1) of the Protocol.