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secretariat

Human Rights Advisor to the Chair - Benjamin Lee

Ben is an Australian lawyer working in human rights. Prior to joining the Secretariat of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum Ben worked as:

  • A consultant with FORUM-ASIA’s United Nations Advocacy Program (Bangkok and Geneva)
  • A Judge’s Associate in the District Court of New South Wales (Sydney)
  • An Australian Youth Ambassador for Development to UNICEF (Timor-Leste)
  • A policy and research officer with the Come-In Youth Resource Centre (Sydney)
  • A consultant with Save the Children Sweden-Denmark (Nepal)
  • A fellow and intern with the International Service for Human Rights (Geneva); and
  • An intern with the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (New Delhi).

As Human Rights Advisor to the Chair, Ben’s roles include:

  • Research for the Chair and the Forum
  • Developing policy and procedure papers for the Forum under the Chair’s supervision
  • Working closely with the Secretariat’s administration team
  • Meeting and communicating with Forum members and other groups linked to the Forum’s work; and
  • Carrying out other tasks at the Chair’s request.

Secretary to the Forum - Gillian Preece

Gillian is a civil servant, who has worked at the NIO since October 1996.  Prior to becoming the Secretary to the Forum she was the Deputy British Joint Secretary at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat for four and a half years.  

Gillian’s career started in the Home Office, in the late 80s, where she worked for eighteen months on policy on drug misuse.  This was followed by a year’s secondment to the NIO, after which she left the civil service for six years.  During that time she went back to full-time education, worked as a freelance writer and editor and was, for three years, registrar at London Bible College (now London School of Theology).

Gillian returned to the civil service in October 1996, joining the NIO full time.  She worked briefly in the NIO’s London office before moving to the Criminal Justice Directorate in Belfast.  During the following five years she worked on delay in the criminal justice system, vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, restorative justice, and hate crime.  She left criminal justice for the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat in September 2002.

As Secretary to the Forum, Gillian’s roles include:

  • Arranging and facilitating all Forum meetings and ensuring that Forum business is conducted properly
  • Handling communication between Forum members and the Chair
  • Overseeing the Forum’s budget
  • Answering queries from the public, or passing them on to the Chair and/or individual Forum members if that is more appropriate
  • Carrying out other tasks at the Chair’s request

Executive Officer - Gareth Wright

Gareth has been a civil servant since January 1997.  His first post was within the Financial Services Division of the NIO.  He worked as an Accounting Technician within the various project teams charged with the introduction of Resource Accounting, the creation of a Fixed Asset Register and the creation and revision of Divisional Accounting Procedures.

Gareth moved to the British Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat in August 2001 where his main duties included assisting in the organisation of the Intergovernmental Conferences, the internal oversight of the Secretariat’s finances and introducing efficiency measures.  He also co-ordinated responses to matters raised by the Irish Government, Parliamentary Questions and Freedom of Information requests.  As the Local Information Manager he was also responsible for the BIIGS Intranet site.

In April 2006 Gareth began work within the Criminal Damage branch of the Compensation Agency where he provided front line services to victims of criminal damage and those affected by searches under the Terrorism Act; liaising with Agency stakeholders, victim’s solicitors, the Agency legal unit, loss assessors and the PSNI.  His main role was to assess claims against the Criminal Damage Compensation (NI) Order 1977 and was part of the project team which reviewed the Agency’s Criminal Damage operating guidelines.

As Executive Officer to the Forum, Gareth’s roles include:

  • Monitoring and evaluating the use of all Forum Resources.
  • Arranging and facilitating all Forum meetings.
  • Supporting the Chair & the Forum Secretary as required.
  • Managing the content of the BORF Website.