Professor Nolan elected to the European Committee of Social Rights

Professor Aoife Nolan, Head of HRLC's ESR Unit; Professor of International Human Rights Law; and Co-Director of the Rights and Justice Research Priority Area, has been elected to the Council of Europe's European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR). Professor Nolan was nominated by the Irish Government and her term of office will begin on 1 January 2017.

Elected by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, the ECSR monitors state compliance with the European Social Charter, the counterpart of the European Convention on Human Rights in the sphere of economic and social rights. The Charter guarantees a broad range of everyday human rights related to employment, housing, health, education, social protection and welfare. Members of the Committee are 'independent experts of the highest integrity and of recognised competence in international social questions'.

Professor Nolan has published extensively in the area of human rights law. She is a global expert in the areas of children's rights and economic and social rights and was founding coordinator of the Economic and Social Rights Academic Network UK and Ireland (ESRAN-UKI). Speaking of her appointment Professor Nolan said: "It is an honour to have been elected to the Committee - the key European monitoring mechanism on economic and social rights. I look forward immensely to contributing to the Committee’s work over the coming years."