The Centre for Children’s Rights at Queen’s University, Belfast is delighted to be collaborating with the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) to launch a collaborative discussion series to explore the opportunities and challenges for incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

The UNCRC, ratified by the UK in 1991, establishes fundamental rights for every child, including the right to education, protection from harm, and participation in decisions affecting their lives. Article 4 of the UNCRC places a duty on governments to take all appropriate legal and non-legal measures to implement the Convention. Across the globe, increasing attention is being paid to the direct legal incorporation of the UNCRC in domestic law, with Scotland, for example, incorporating the UNCRC in 2024.

The Centre for Children’s Rights (CCR) at Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB) (Professor Bronagh Byrne, Professor Laura Lundy and Evie Heard) will be collaborating with the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) to start exploring the potential for incorporation in Northern Ireland. As part of this, we will be engaging with stakeholders across a range of contexts to better understand the possibilities and realities of incorporating children’s rights in NI more fully.

These incorporation conversations will provide a platform to share perspectives, and drive meaningful action toward enhancing children’s rights in a Northern Ireland context. We will be inviting professionals working with and for children and those working on rights and equality matters to take part in important discussions about the opportunities and challenges of incorporating the UNCRC into law in Northern Ireland. This is an opportunity to discuss the increasing international trend towards the legal incorporation of the UNCRC into domestic law, highlighting the different approaches being used across jurisdictions, including Scotland, and the learning available from these diverse approaches.

The first event will take place on 19^th March 2025 at Queen’s University Belfast. For more information contact Evie Heard, evie.heard@qub.ac.uk