Scroll down to find out why fully incorporating the UNCRC into domestic law is the most important thing we can do for children and young people in Northern Ireland.
👨👩👧👦 What is the UNCRC?
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international agreement that sets out the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of all children. The UK ratified the Convention in 1991, but it has not yet been fully incorporated into Northern Ireland’s domestic law.
🏛️ What does incorporation mean?
Incorporation means that the rights set out in the UNCRC become legally binding in domestic law. This would give children and young people stronger legal protections and the ability to challenge rights violations in court.
It would also require government departments and public bodies to consider children’s rights when making decisions.
🤔 Why does this matter?
Without full incorporation, children’s rights are not consistently protected. Incorporation:
📈 How would incorporation improve children’s lives?
Incorporation would:
💡 What Has NICCY been doing?
NICCY has been leading efforts to ensure the UNCRC is fully incorporated into law in Northern Ireland.
Key actions include:
🩵 Calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to introduce and pass legislation for full and direct incorporation of the UNCRC into domestic law.
🩷 Proactively engaging with Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), government departments, law professionals, and other stakeholders; facilitating dialogue between rights experts and lawmakers to explore legislative models; building cross-party understanding and support for legislative change.
🧡 Engaging directly with children and young people to ensure their voices shape the conversation – and sharing evidence from C&YP about why their rights must be protected in law.
💚 Publishing briefings to highlight the gaps in current legal protections for children. Read our our political briefing ➡️ Elected Member Briefing: Incorporation of the UNCRC
❤️ Hosted Incorporation Conversations events with legal professionals and stakeholders to raise awareness and explore pathways to incorporation, explaining the legal and practical implications. The Lady Chief Justice, The Right Honourable Dame Siobhan Keegan, spoke at our event in Ridell Hall on 17 June 2025 and highlighted how “the most vulnerable members of society should be protected”. Read the Lady Chief Justice’s remarks ➡️ LCJ’s Closing Remarks
💪🏻 What Can You Do?
In ‘A Call to Action – Make Children’s Rights Real’, the Commissioner, Chris Quinn, says: “The incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into law in Northern Ireland is the single-most impactful action our government can take for babies, children and young people – because, right now, too many children are being left behind.”
Chris adds: “This is the moment to turn progress into historic change. We can’t do this alone, however – we need your help.”
What does this help look like? We need people to:
💜 Stay informed and be part of this growing movement for children’s rights;
💜 Start conversations about children’s rights;
💜 Use your voice and influence;
💜 Contact your MLA and ask them to support UNCRC incorporation;
💜 Spread the word using NICCY’s briefings and social media;
💜 Join conversations and events hosted by NICCY and partners.
You can read Chris’s thoughts in full here ➡️ A Call to Action – Make Children’s Rights Real
💬 Incorporation blogs & videos
🖊️ Check out this joint blog from Commissioner Chris Quinn and Professor Bronagh Byrne, Centre for Children’s Rights, Queen’s University Belfast, on why incorporating the UNCRC into domestic law is the most important thing we can do for children and young people in NI ➡️ Incorporating Children’s Rights into Law in Northern Ireland Blog
🖊️ Commissioner Chris Quinn‘s ‘Parents as Children’s Rights Defenders’ speech delivered at Queen’s University Belfast ➡️ “Rights are love expressed as justice” – a message from Commissioner Chris Quinn to parents
🖊️ NICCY Youth Panel’s Sarah Martin discusses the importance of the UNCRC in articulating children’s rights, supporting her work as a children’s rights defender, and facilitating productive conversations with adults. Read her blog here ➡️ I Have A Dream
🖊️ Professor Bronagh Byrne highlights how the conversation about incorporating the UNCRC is not new for NI. However, incorporation in Scotland, contemporary challenges, the clear benefits from incorporation, and a background of children’s rights failures are all the more reason to open up the conversation again. Read her blog here ➡️ Continuing the Conversation: Why Incorporation of the UNCRC Matters
🎥 Elodie from the NICCY Youth Panel makes a powerful case before the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for Health about why incorporating children’s rights into NI law could transform children and young people’s mental health services.
🎥 Commissioner Chris Quinn stresses to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for Health the importance of the full and direct incorporation of the UNCRC into domestic law.
🎥 Hear directly from some of our Incorporation Conversation allies like Bruce Adamson, the former Commissioner for the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland; Peter Bryson, the CEO of Save the Children; Dr Paula Rodgers from Include Youth; Monye Anyadike-Danes KC; and David Burns, the Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor. Thank you to all our Incorporation Conversations supporters.
Find out more about Children's Rights here: