Government facing rights leadership test at UN today
At the United Nations in Geneva today (11 May 2016), Ireland’s new minority Government faces the first international test of its leadership when Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald TD appears before the Human Rights Council.
This is the second time that Ireland has appeared before the Council to answer peer-review questions about its human rights record from fellow UN member States, under the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Today’s hearing will focus on what was achieved during the tenure of the previous Government. This global audit of the State’s human rights performance during the 31st Dáil will also highlight the top issues on which work remains to be done.
Ms Fitzgerald is expected to be asked tough questions on a wide range of issues including:
• Housing and homelessness
• Reproductive rights
• The historical abuse of women and children
• The rights of persons with a disability
• Immigration and asylum
• Access to adequate healthcare and education
• LGBTI rights
• Prisons and detention
• The rights of children and older people
• The rights of Travellers, Roma and other minority groups in Ireland
Speaking in advance of the hearing, ICCL Executive Director Mr Mark Kelly said:
“The Tánaiste will be able to report some big wins to the UN today, including holding a referendum on marriage for same sex couples and producing highly-progressive transgender recognition legislation. However, other UN member states, including our European neighbours will be asking very tough questions about our highly restrictive abortion regime, the absence of independent monitoring arrangements in places of detention, weak protections for people with disabilities and the failure to recognise Travellers as an ethnic minority”.
“This is a good opportunity for Frances Fitzgerald to show that she is serious about meeting our human rights obligations by giving very specific and time-bound commitments on when the new Government will convene the “citizens’ convention” on repealing the 8th amendment and act on its recommendations; recognise Travellers as an ethnic minority and ratify ‘missing’ UN protections including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture” Mr Kelly continued.
“Today’s UPR hearing is a moment for the Government of Ireland to demonstrate that it can offer genuine human rights leadership at home as well as abroad” he concluded.
The ICCL is live screening the Tánaiste’s appearance before the UN Human Rights Committee from 1.30pm in Dublin and other locations across Ireland (details below).
Note to editor
ICCL webcasts will be held in the following venues from 1pm to 5pm:
• Dublin : Goldsmiths Hall, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane, D 8
• Galway: Room G023 (LLM Reading Room), Centre for Disability Law and Policy, Institute for Lifecourse & Society, Corrib Village Entrance, Upper Newcastle Road, NUI Galway
• Cork: Creative Zone, Q Floor, Boole Library, University College Cork, Cork
Advance written questions to Ireland have been submitted by a number of countries, including our European neighbours, the Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Germany will ask Frances Fitzgerald if the Government will review Article 40.3.3 of the Irish Constitution in which, it observes, “the biological existence of a foetus is put on an equal basis with the right to life of a pregnant woman”. The Czech Republic, Netherlands and Norway have lodged similar written questions about Ireland’s “restrictive abortion regime”. Sweden will ask “what measures is Ireland prepared to take to bring its legislation and medical practices in line at least with minimum international standards of sexual and reproductive health and rights?”
Other headline issues for review include the State’s ongoing failure to create national monitoring mechanisms to oversee the treatment of people with disabilities and to independently inspect places of detention. Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom will quiz the Tánaiste about why Ireland signed the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities nine years ago, but has yet to ratify it. The Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and the UK have also noticed that it is nearly a decade since the State signed but did not action a detention-monitoring Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.
Other issues on which the Tánaiste will be questioned include the reasons why Travellers have yet to be recognised as a distinct ethnic group, how the Government ensures that parents can access non-religious education and what steps are being taken to protect the rights of migrant workers.
Civil society has ensured that our peer nations are well informed about the situation in Ireland. Your Rights, Right Now, the civil society UPR coalition led by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties has held 36 meetings (18 in Geneva, 18 in Dublin) to inform Missions and Embassies about priority issues, many of which have been reflected in the written questions sent to Ireland in advance.
The Tánaiste is being supported by senior officials from her own Department as well as from Children and Youth Affairs, Environment, Community and Local Government, Social Protection, Education and Skills, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Health and the Attorney General’s Office, who have travelled with her to Geneva.
The following Coalition Members are available FROM Dublin for further comment:
• Irish Council for Civil Liberties: Mark Kelly, 0879981574
• Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC): Yvonne Woods, Communications Officer: Ph: 087 230 9227 / 01-887 3600.
• Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA): Denise Ryan, Communications Officer: PH: 086 795 2167
• Pavee Point: Martin Collins: PH: 01 8780255
The following Coalition Members are available FROM GENEVA for further comment:
• Mercy Law Resource Centre (HOUSING Issues): Maeve Regan: PH: 0878486826
• Irish Penal Reform Trust (PRISON ISSUES): Deirdre Malone: PH: 0834417577
• Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TRANS ISSUES): Catherine Cross: PH 0870637933
To stream the event live and for a comprehensive list of resources please see www.rightsnow.ie including the civil society stakeholder report and the National Report prepared by the Government.