Inez McCormack is one of the most influential civil rights leaders in Northern Ireland today. She played a critical role in the 1998 Good Friday Peace Accord, continues to advocate for equal rights and fair labour practices for women and minorities and she was a signatory of the McBride Principles.

She formerly directed the Northern Ireland section of the trade union UNISON. Having served as the first female President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Inez McCormack is currently Chair of the North/South Health Service Partnership, Chair of the Participation and Rights Programme and Senior Advisor to the Global Coalition for Women’s Rights/Worker’s Rights.

She is also a founding member and Deputy Chair of the Northern Ireland Equal Opportunities Commission and a founding member of both the Northern Ireland Fair Employment Commission and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, and is a well-known writer and broadcaster. She is a founder member of the Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR) Project which works in the north and south of Ireland supporting communities to use a human rights-based approach to address the issues of social and economic deprivation and inequality.