A Cabinet meeting today is expected to approve the heads of a Bill to establish a Human Rights Commission, as required by the Belfast Agreement.
The new body, the equivalent of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, will be an independent body designed to review the effectiveness of relevant laws and practices and promote awareness of human rights.
It will be expected to make recommendations to the Government and to consider draft legislation referred to it, and, in appropriate cases, bring court proceedings or help individuals to do so.
The commitment is part of a broader section of the Belfast Agreement, in which the State pledges to strengthen the protection of human rights.
The document also requires the Government to ratify the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities; to implement enhanced employment equality legislation; to introduce equal status legislation; and to take further steps "to demonstrate its respect for the different traditions in the island of Ireland".
