Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has announced the membership of the second Human Rights Commission, which starts its five-year term on October 2nd.
Five new members have been appointed, while nine previous members of the commission have been reappointed.
Dr Maurice Manning, the president of the body, has a term of office that expires in 2007.
The five new members are senior counsel Roger Sweetman; Alice Leahy, director of the homeless service Trust; professor of economics Helen O'Neill; law lecturer Rosemary Byrne and Lia O'Hegarty, who will shortly leave her post as legal adviser to the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Those reappointed are Prof William Binchy; Arts Council chair Olive Braiden; former minister Mervyn Taylor; consultant and chair of the Coombe hospital Tom O'Higgins; human rights law lecturer Suzanne Egan; civil rights campaigner Michael Farrell, Prof Gerard Quinn, Prof Robert Daly and educator Dr Katherine Zappone.
Mr McDowell said he wanted to acknowledge "the valuable contribution of the previous members of the Commission and thank them for their work over the past five years".
"The new commission will build on the solid foundation established by the first commission. During that time the commission has made its mark domestically and it has become well regarded internationally where it is a member of the European Co-ordinating Group of National Human Rights Institutions."
Supreme Court judge Catherine McGuinness chaired th appointment panel to shortlist the names of qualified applicants for appointment to the new commission.
The Human Rights Commission was set up in July 2001, in line with the provisions of the1998 Belfast Agreement.