PRESS RELEASE : Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announces new appointment to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland [August 2024]

The press release issued by the Office of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 29 August 2024.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Hilary Benn MP, has announced the appointment of Nazia Latif to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

Nazia Latif will take up the appointment with effect from 1 September 2024 for a period of three years.

Background

The Equality Commission was established in 1999, as part of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. It took over the functions of the Fair Employment Commission, Equal Opportunities Commission, and Council for Racial Equality and Northern Ireland Disability Council.

The Commission is responsible for policing the Statutory Duty on all public authorities in Northern Ireland to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity across a range of areas including religion, political opinion, gender, race, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability and those with and without dependants. The Commission is funded and sponsored by The Executive Office.

Further information about the work of the Commission can be found at:

https://www.equalityni.org/Home

Biography of Appointee

Nazia is Co-Founder of Right Practice, where she helps organisations meet their human rights and equality commitments. She has worked with clients in Northern Ireland and internationally on a range of research and training projects, including the Asia Pacific Forum and the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise. She is currently an Authority Member of the Regulation, Quality and Improvement Authority. She also serves on the NI Committee of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and is an Independent Assessor for Diversity Mark. Nazia previously held the position of Investigations and Policy adviser at the NI Human Rights Commission. Nazia is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, completed her MA at the University of Durham and completed her PhD at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Terms of Appointment

• This position is part-time for a period of three years ending on 31 August 2027.
• The position receives a fixed annual remuneration of £5,000.
• The position is not pensionable.

Political Activity

All appointments are made on merit and with regards to the statutory requirements. Political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity in defined categories to be made public.

Nazia Latif has declared that she has not been politically active in the past five years.

Regulation

The appointment process has been regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment (OCPA) and all stages of the process were overseen by an independent panel member.

Statutory Requirements

The Secretary of State makes appointments to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland in accordance with the Northern Ireland Act 1998.