Sport and Human Rights Forum

The Northern Ireland Sport & Human Rights Forum was established in May 2019, coinciding with the launch of the Declaration on Sport and Human Rights – drafted by the Commission and the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council.

At the time of the Forum’s launch, five major sports bodies in Northern Ireland had already adopted the Declaration: the Belfast Giants, Irish Football Association, Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council, Ulster GAA, and Ulster Rugby. This has grown over time and now we have over 15 sporting bodies who have pledged to have pledged to embed and champion human rights within their sports.

The Forum has been established as a multi-stakeholder platform to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and good practice on sport and human rights issues. The current chair is Conal Heatley, Business and Operations Manager at Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland.