The Belfast / Good Friday Agreement 1998 (“the 1998 Agreement”) laid down not only a mandate for national human rights institutions in NI and Ireland, but also the mechanism to ensure strong cooperation between them.The 1998 Agreement specifically envisaged the establishment of a Joint Committee with representatives of the two bodies, in NI and Ireland, as a forum for considering human rights issues on the island of Ireland
The Joint Committee makes the following recommendations in order to honour the ongoing protection of rights on the island of Ireland:
1. Ensure commitment to ‘no diminution of rights’ is evident and enforceable in final Withdrawal Agreement
2. Safeguard North-South equivalence of rights on an ongoing basis
3. Guarantee equality of citizenship within Northern Ireland
4. Protect border communities and migrant workers
5. Ensure evolving justice arrangements comply with commitment to non-diminution of rights
6. Ensure continued right to participation in public life for EU citizens in Northern Ireland