The Economy Minister was responding to the publication of a review into Invest NI investments
Northern Ireland will not take part in the British Government’s trade negotiations with Israel, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald has announced.
The Sinn Féin minister said the decision reflects her department’s commitment to upholding human rights and ensuring public funds are not linked to the “arming of genocide” or the manufacture of weapons used in conflict.
Her Ministerial Statement follows the publication of Invest Northern Ireland’s Review of Investments Report, which examined whether any public funding had been used to support the manufacture of arms or their components for supply to Israel.
The review, commissioned by the minister in February amid growing public scrutiny, looked at 93 projects across 20 programmes funded since October 2023. It found no evidence that Invest NI had supported any company producing weapons or parts for Israel.
Dr Archibald said she welcomed the finding but had asked officials to go further by introducing new ethical safeguards.
“Invest NI has provided an assurance that it does not support projects that manufacture arms or their components for supply to Israel,” she said. “I asked Invest NI to review its investments to make sure that this is the case. The review is categorical – Invest NI does not support the manufacture of arms or their components for Israel. I welcome this finding.”
The minister said her department is now developing an Ethical Investment Framework based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Under the new rules, companies seeking financial support will have to confirm that they are not producing weapons or components for countries accused of committing genocide.
Dr Archibald also confirmed that the Department for the Economy “will not engage in the British Government’s trade talks with Israel while it continues to illegally occupy and impose apartheid on Palestine.”
The minister described the scale of civilian deaths in Gaza as “unacceptable” and said the ceasefire must become permanent, leading to Palestinian statehood and lasting peace in the region.
“The British Government carries primary responsibility for ending arms sales to Israel,” she said. “However all of us in wider society have a moral duty to do what we can to end the illegal occupation of Palestine, the imposition of apartheid, and the arming of genocide.”
The review reaffirmed that all Invest NI funding decisions are bound by UK and EU legal frameworks, and that none of its recent grants breached state aid or subsidy control rules. Officials concluded that existing safeguards are robust and that no further changes to Invest NI’s processes are required.
However, Dr Archibald said the department’s next steps would ensure “future-proofed” procedures that align with the highest human rights standards.
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