Annual Human Rights Conference

On Friday I attended NICEM's annual Human Rights Conference. Held in Belfast with speakers from the UK, Ireland and Switzerland, the conference focused on the relation between the European Convention of Human Rights and the Strasbourg Court.

The full programme and notes from the speakers' presentations can be accessed here. I particularly enjoyed the presentation by Gabrielle Toggenburg, programme manager at the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, on the Lisbon Treaty.

Plus it turns out you can get an app for the Charter of Fundamental Rights of The European Union. Check it out here: fra.europa.eu/charterapp

Equality And Diversity Training

I have just completed a course for Equality and Diversity training run by NICEM. The course explored the dynamics of racism and equality on an individual and organisational level, and looked at anti-racism legislation, ways of challenging discrimination in the workplace, and even looked at formulating action plans, both personal and for our chosen organisation.

It was only a 2 day course, but managed to cover a fairly extensive range of topics in that time. The aim was for practical the application within the workplace, and how to encourage a diverse and equal working environment.

Bayanihan!

Last Monday I attended a launch for new researched conducted by the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM).

The study is a comprehensive look of the small but growing Filipino community in Northern Ireland, and the ways in which this community is likely to be effected by the economic downturn. Perhaps most interestingly, the study sums up the immigration process for Tier 2 migrant workers in the United Kingdom and the challenges in obtaining (and keeping) these work permits.

At a time when anti-immigrant sentiment seems to be rising in the UK, this study helps to show that the negative propaganda spouted by some newspapers, particularly with regard to the immigrant's right to public funds, is misinformed.