Women’s Policy Group Northern Ireland Responds to Department of Education’s Budget EQIA
July 2025 – The Women’s Policy Group (WPG) Northern Ireland has released a comprehensive response to the Department of Education’s Budget Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) for the fiscal year 2025-26. The WPG, a coalition of policy experts and practitioners advocating for gender equality, has expressed significant concerns regarding the Department’s approach to the EQIA process.
Key Points of the Response:
Lack of Proper Engagement: The WPG criticizes the Department for not adequately engaging with the guidance from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) and for potentially replicating previous processes without necessary updates.
Impact on Human Rights: The response highlights the potential negative impacts of budget cuts on the realisation of international human rights obligations, particularly those affecting women and girls.
Gender Budgeting: The WPG emphasizes the importance of gender budgeting to ensure that resources are distributed in a way that promotes gender equality and addresses the specific needs of women and girls.
Data and Evidence: The response points out the insufficiency of data considered in the EQIA and calls for the inclusion of more comprehensive and up-to-date research, particularly from the community and voluntary sectors.
Mitigation Measures: The WPG stresses the need for the Department to identify and implement mitigation measures to address the adverse impacts identified in the EQIA.
About the Women’s Policy Group: The WPG is a collective of women from various organizations, including trade unions, grassroots women’s organizations, feminist campaigning groups, and human rights bodies. The group advocates for gender equality through an intersectional feminist lens, challenging systemic injustices and influencing policy and law.
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