Andrews welcomes appointment of Professor Brice Dickson
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, David Andrews T.D., today welcomed the appointment of Professor Brice Dickson as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
Minister Andrews said “I believe that Human Rights and Equality matters are central to the Good Friday Agreement. The appointment of Professor Dickson as Chief Commissioner is a significant step forward in the protection of human rights in Northern Ireland and in the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Professor Dickson is a former Chairperson of the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) in Belfast and is highly regarded by human rights organisations throughout the island. He also contributed to the work of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in Dublin Castle.
"The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission will have a wide remit, including advising the Secretary of State on the formulation of aBill of Rights. I wish Professor Dickson and his future colleagues in the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission well in their important work.
"I also look forward to the establishment, at the appropriate time, of the North/South Joint Committee, as outlined in the Good Friday Agreement. The Joint Committee will bring together the two new Human Rights Commissions, North and South, to consider human rights issues in the island of Ireland."
He was a member and subsequently the Deputy Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission 1990-1996. This body deals with gender issues.
He was the Winston Churchill Fellow on Bills of Rights in Southern Africa in 1994 and acted as consultant to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in Dublin.
Dickson is a long standing member of the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) in Belfast, the leading human rights organisation in the North. He has also served as its chairperson.
Professor Dickson was called to the Northern Ireland Bar in 1976. His Doctorate (MPhil) is from the University of Ulster (1998).
Press Section
January 18, 1999
Note for Editors
Brice Dickson is currently Professor of Law and head of legal studies at the University of Ulster. He was previously lecturer and senior lecturer in Law at Queen’s University between 1979 and 1991.
