Dublin, 12 November 2012
Ireland’s human rights watchdog, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has welcomed today’s election of Ireland to serve a three year term on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
ICCL Director Mr Mark Kelly said:
“Ireland’s election in the face of stiff competition from other Western European states is testament both to its outstanding record in promoting human rights abroad and to the adroitness of its diplomatic efforts within the United Nations.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is looking forward to cooperating closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as it strives to put into practice at domestic level the election commitments that it has made to other UN Member States”
ENDS
Mark Kelly is available for interview and further comment
For more information, please contact:
Walter Jayawardene
Communications Manager
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
9-13 Blackhall Place
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel. + 353 1 799 4504
Mob: +353 87 9981574
E-mail: info@iccl.ie
Note to editors:
Ireland was elected today to the United Nations Human Rights Council by the 193-member UN General Assembly. Ireland ran alongside Germany, Sweden, Greece and the United States for one of the three vacant seats from the ‘Western Europe and other states’ panel. The remaining two seats went to Germany and the United States.
Ireland’s election promises to other United Nations member states were set out in a letter dated 13 April 2012 from the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations (Ambassador Anne Anderson) addressed to the President of the United Nations General Assembly. The full text of that letter can be found at this link: http://www.dfa.ie/uploads/documents/New%20York%20PM/a-67-80%20-%20english.pdf
Ambassador Anderson’s letter includes the following promises to uphold and strengthen human rights at home:
“27. Ireland will continue to cooperate fully with the Human Rights Council’s mechanisms, including the special procedures, by responding promptly and substantively to all their communications, facilitating their requests for visits and honouring our existing standing invitation to them.
28. Ireland is firmly committed to complying with its international obligations, including through timely reporting to the relevant United Nations treaty monitoring bodies.
29. Ireland has ratified the core United Nations human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. On 23 March 2012, Ireland signed the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The complaints mechanism that will be established by the Optional Protocol is in keeping with the spirit of the many independent complaints, monitoring and inspection bodies that are currently in place in Ireland. Signing this
Optional Protocol has given us the opportunity to affirm our determination to achieve full respect for human rights in practice. We now make two specific additional commitments:
(a) Ireland was in the first group of countries to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities when it was opened for signature and is totally committed to the implementation of its provisions and the consequent improvements in the lives of people with disabilities. We are committed to ratification as soon as possible;
(b) We also commit to ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.
30. Ireland will seek to enhance its efforts to ensure that all existing national mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights are strengthened:
(a) The country’s Programme for Government, published in March 2011, requires all public bodies to take due note of equality and human rights in carrying out their functions. Government strategies have aimed at improving the practical delivery of human rights obligations throughout all levels of society, and a number of national strategies have been developed to tackle specific areas of concern;
(b) Ireland is firmly committed to promoting an inclusive society and to eliminating all forms of racial discrimination. As a follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, Ireland developed the National Action Plan against Racism that focused on supporting key stakeholders in the development of locally based anti-racism strategies and social inclusion measures to promote diversity;
(c) Ireland has established a number of independent statutory agencies to help maintain public confidence in the organs of public administration and to provide for complaints procedures, including the Equality Authority, the National Disability Authority, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Children’s Office and the Garda Síochána (Irish Police) Ombudsman Commission.
31. Ireland is committed to continuing to provide support for human rights education and training domestically in order to enhance awareness and respect for human rights across all sectors of society. Human rights issues are addressed at both the primary and secondary levels of education and there are human rights programmes in a significant number of tertiary-level education institutions in Ireland. Human rights also feature prominently in police and Defence Forces training at all levels.
32. Ireland commits to upholding the independence of its national human rights institution, the Irish Human Rights Commission, which was established in 2001 in line with the Paris Principles. The Commission is an independent body charged with promoting and protecting human rights for all people within the State. It is empowered to make recommendations to the Government, including on legislative proposals, and has recently published the Human Rights Guide for the Civil and Public Service. The Irish Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority will be merged to form a new strengthened and enhanced Human Rights and Equality Commission.
33. Ireland is fully committed to a pluralistic and open democracy and values the role played by a diverse and inclusive civil society in this regard. The importance that Ireland places upon this crucial role is reflected in the comprehensive consultation mechanisms that exist between the Government of Ireland and its social partners. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade consults with non-governmental organizations regarding human rights in Irish foreign policy through its Standing Committee on Human Rights, as well as through the annual Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade NGO Human Rights Forum.”