Martin O'Brien

Great piece by Liam Herrick of IHREC: The most significant overhaul of asylum law in three decades shouldn’t be this rushed. A system that accelerates decision-making without sufficient legal clarity risks embedding errors, unlawfulness and injustice… irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/0…

Relatedly, here’s a link to a Council of Europe factsheet on immigration and the ECHR: ks.echr.coe.int/documents/3782…

I have a letter in today’s Irish Times about Ireland and the ECHR and the apparent shift in the Irish government’s position towards reform of the Convention signalled recently by the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan TD #ECHR

Important read here. irishtimes.com/opinion/2025/1…

Important new report here. Well worth a look.

We’re excited to share that the Social Change Initiative is now on Instagram! 🤳 🌍 🔗 instagram.com/SCIBelfast Follow us to stay connected with our work supporting social change in Northern Ireland and around the world. From peacebuilding and human rights to global solidarity and strategic collaboration, we’re here to highlight the ideas and people driving meaningful change. We are also on Bluesky, LinkedIn and Facebook - join our community and follow along for updates, insights, opportunities and stories from changemakers everywhere.

Recently we hosted 'Tackling Hate & Violent Extremism – What Works?' – an event that brought together practitioners, policymakers and community leaders from across Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland to discuss practical strategies for countering rising hate and violent extremism. ▶️ In the lead-up to the event, we spoke with one of our guests, Joe Mulhall from @hopenothate. He shared his impressions from meeting with local NI activists and discussed the work HOPE not hate is doing on the ground. 🔗 Read the full article and watch Joe's video here: socialchangeinitiative.com/tackling-hate-…

Last week we welcomed 28 Community and Youth Work students from @MaynoothUni. SCI's Director, @MartinOBrien17, was delighted to meet them and talk about working for social change and the current situation in Belfast.

New report: Countering Authoritarianism - Lessons from Istanbul Earlier this year we brought together global activists and funders for an international convening in Istanbul. Over three days, we explored how social movements are responding to escalating global challenges – and how we can build stronger, more connected strategies for change. Our new report captures what emerged: key elements of the authoritarian playbook, practical approaches for building resistance and the critical importance of activist wellbeing and solidarity. 🔗Read the full report: socialchangeinitiative.com/new-report-cou… The path forward requires action across movements and borders – grounded in preparation, solidarity and a shared commitment to progressive change. Our thanks to everyone who participated and to the team at @postaneistanbul for hosting us.

Maynooth looking pretty special this week. Stunning trees.

To learn more take a look at the Constitutionalism Funds website constitutionalismfund.co.za

Great to be back again in South Africa to mark 10 years of the Constitutionalism Fund an initiative of @atlantic, @FordFoundation & @OpenSociety. $29m of grant awards made to advance the realisation of the rights provided for in the South African Constitution.

Our report with @qubhrc and @UMHumanRights examines how the UK government has attempted to walk back commitments made to ensure Brexit wouldn't diminish Good Friday Agreement rights and equality protections. The government challenged a NI Court of Appeal judgment that used these commitments to disapply parts of the controversial Legacy Act. While a Supreme Court ruling would typically be final, the Brexit arrangements include international enforcement mechanisms that could ultimately have the final say. We've created a short animation to break down the key issues. ▶️ This case highlights how international safeguards may prove crucial in protecting rights in Northern Ireland - even when domestic courts have spoken. 🔗 Read the full report: socialchangeinitiative.com/human-rights-a…

Over two years, 170 people from diverse communities across Northern Ireland took part in our values-led workshops, exploring what we share and what divides us through World Values Survey data. Our new Lessons Learned report reveals seven key insights from this work—from how complex data can change conversations, to young people's appetite for dialogue about difference, to the role of narrative strategies in peace building. Read the full report on our website to discover how a values-led approach is opening new pathways for community conversation. 🔗 socialchangeinitiative.com/values-lessons…

This should be a great ⁦@flacireland⁩ occasion…

Following our event 'Tackling Hate & Violent Extremism – What Works?', we're continuing to share insights from a conversation with @JoeMulhall from @HOPEnothate on the work being done to counter hate and violent extremism. ▶️ 🔗 For the full article with complete takeaways, visit: socialchangeinitiative.com/tackling-hate-… SCI is committed to maintaining the momentum from this event. We have more seminars planned, so if you're interested in attending events like this, leave a comment or email us at info@socialchangeinitiative.com and we'll add you to our future events invite list. ✉️

Today we welcomed Phil Tulba from the @ubeleinitiative for a discussion on community wealth building with members from our Black Activist Leadership programme and local community organisations. The event was organised by Charlie Fisher from the @devtrustsni and hosted by Social Change Initiative. Phil shared Ubele's work supporting African diaspora-led asset and enterprise development in London, including the Wolves Lane Centre and the GIDA housing co-operative. The session explored how community wealth building principles - around asset ownership, enterprise development, and social infrastructure - can be applied to support black and minoritised communities in Northern Ireland. Suleiman Abdullahi from @HAPANI1 also presented Retreat Housing's work providing affordable, culturally sensitive housing solutions for refugees and migrants. Key themes included: ✅ Breaking down barriers to capital and social investment ✅ Creating infrastructure support for diverse communities ✅ Developing culturally appropriate investment models ✅ Building recognition for the economic contributions of minoritised communities Thanks to everyone who joined and shared their experiences. Lots to think about from today's conversation.👏

Great to see former @SCI_Belfast intern Allison Tate getting this significant honour and opportunity.

Delighted to host this event today in conjunction with @CO3updates on their new guide to Financial Resilience. Great to see so many organisations coming together to learn from the very skilled fundraiser @alicegarrad1. Thanks to @PwC Belfast for hosting us. Here’s the link to the guide. Well worth a look. co3.org.uk/lgfr-resources/

Important new report from @SCI_Belfast @QUBHRC @UMHumanRights. UK government is trying to undo its commitment that Brexit wouldn’t diminish GFA rights. International enforcement mechanisms mean that a UK Supreme Court hearing in October might not be the end of the story.