Press Release, for immediate release
9 September 2011
Ireland’s independent human rights watchdog, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has reacted to Minister Shatter’s proposal to create a new enhanced Human Rights and Equality Commission by recognising that there is a compelling need to revise our human rights protection architecture.
Speaking today (9 September 2011) shortly after the Minister’s announcement, ICCL Director Mr Mark Kelly said:
“Minister Shatter’s announcement today echoes consistent recommendations from civil society coalitions to the United Nations that the current State-funded human rights and equality bodies be reformed to produce a more coherent and effective institutional framework for the protection and promotion of human rights.* We strongly welcome the Minister’s commitment that the new Human Rights and Equality Commission “will unequivocally keep faith with the ‘Paris Principles’** on national human-rights bodies”. An effective Human Rights and Equality Commission must not only appear to be independent of Government, but also be prepared to demonstrate that independence in practice when performing its duties”.
“One notable omission in the Minister’s statement is that it does not explicitly mention the new body inheriting the function currently vested in the Equality Authority to assist vulnerable people to bring cases to the Equality Tribunal and/or the courts. We trust that this oversight will be remedied when detailed arrangements are made for the establishment of an enhanced and integrated Human Rights and Equality Commission”, Mr Kelly added.
The ICCL has also noted that an ad hoc group chosen from members of the former Equality Authority and Human Rights Commission will assist in the arrangements for the transition to a new Commission. It would be appropriate for views to be sought from a wider range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations, before any such arrangements are concluded.
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 4503
Mob: +353 87 9981574
Fax. + 353 1 799 4512
E-mail walter.jayawardene@iccl.ie
EDITOR’S NOTE
*These include the March 2011 ‘Your Rights. Right Now’ Universal Periodic Review civil society submission to the UN, see http://www.rightsnow.ie/go/get_involved/read_the_report and the May 2011 ICCL/IPRT Joint Shadow Report to the UN Committee Against Torture, available here
** Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions, adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993.