The Northern Irish Human Rights Commission is hosting its annual conference on "The future of human rights in the UK" on 16 September 2010. This conference, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Human Rights Act (1998) coming into force, will bring together the UK national human rights institutions, government, lawyers and activists. Its purpose is to further the discussion started by government on the future of human rights in the UK and to identify the challenges and opportunities presented by this debate.
The UK Government has committed to establish a Commission tasked with investigating "the creation of a British Bill of Rights". Its aim is to "incorporate and build on all our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights", and to ensure that these rights continue to be enshrined in law. Government has said that it will use the process "to promote a better understanding of the true scope of these obligations and liberties".
Domestic human rights protections guaranteed by the Human Rights Act are central to the UK constitution. They underpin the devolution settlements and act as a set of values that are held in common across all jurisdictions. Any proposed review of these protections is of crucial political, legal and social importance.
Speakers at this conference will include eminent public figures and international experts. It will focus on four themes:
- the Human Rights Act (1998)
- Rights and Responsibilities
- Regionalism and Bills of Rights, and
- Economic and Social Rights.
For more information on the conference, please click here.