New Year hopes for human rights

The last decade has been scarred by terrorism and a 'war on terror' which has left hundreds of thousands of civilians dead, thousands locked up without trial and hundreds tortured in prisons around the world.

The next decade must be one where the rule of law, rather than the rule of force is used to make the world a more secure place.

Economic justice must be made real for the billion children in our world who languish in poverty in a planet of plenty.
 
In Northern Ireland in the year ahead, politicians will be judged on their efforts to deal justly with our past and deliver a framework of fairness for the future. There must be a genuine effort to offer truth and justice to the victims of past violence, as well as a strong Bill of Rights to help ensure a more just society for all.

Northern Ireland has come a long way in the last decade, but the days and years ahead will prove to be just as important.