Human rights and equality were the founding principles of the Good Friday Agreement, a major conference on human rights heard today. Junior Stormont Minister, Denis Haughey, was addressing the two-day conference in Dublin Castle on behalf of deputy Northern Ireland First Minister Seamus Mallon, of the SDLP. He said that it was the first time the Northern Ireland human rights and equality bodies had met their counterparts in the south on a major stage.
Mr Haughey said "Human rights and equality were fundamental principles upon which the Belfast Agreement was founded. They were recognised as values which belonged to everyone regardless of colour or creed - values which emphasised our common humanity and provided a steadfast foundation on which to build the new structures of government." He went on to say, "as politicians, we are striving to establish a system of good government. But it is not enough, the pursuit of good governance must be balanced by effective safeguards. Therein lies the strength of our equality and human rights legislation and of the institutions we have set up."
He added that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, not yet two years old, has had an impact in opening up debate. "A forthcoming Northern Ireland Single Equality Bill should ensure that our laws protecting against discrimination are raised to the best European standards", Mr Haughey said.
