Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Go raibh maith agat. I apologise for being late but I was speaking in the European Council debate, which went on. I therefore missed the start of Mr. Wrafter's paper, for which I apologise.

I wish to raise a couple of points, some of which have been touched upon. Other speakers mentioned the great excitement both at this committee and across development organisations when Ireland gained a place on the UN Human Rights Council. People were hoping that Ireland's work plan would be integrated into the council's agenda, but many people are asking what we are doing differently concerning the council's work. What issues is Ireland prioritising?

Mr. Wrafter mentioned Colombia and the Israel-Palestine situation. Does he see a difficulty with special trade agreements between those two regions, Ireland and the EU generally? Given the human rights record in Colombia and Israel, many people feel this is almost like rewarding bad behaviour, rather than tackling it. Does Mr. Wrafter have a view on that?

Can Mr. Wrafter give an overview of what we are, and will be, doing differently on that council? Do we see ourselves as a voice for people who are not on the council? Can Mr. Wrafter cite some examples in that regard?

Mr. Wrafer mentioned human rights offenders. The Universal Periodic Review of Development and Co-operation refers to operations and recommendations, as well as playing a role in the development of co-operation and work in partner countries. Would it be helpful if there was any correlation between the UPR recommendations provided to Ireland to countries where it also engages in development work through Irish Aid, and the focus of its work in the said country? Are UPR recommendations included when decisions are made concerning the focus of Irish Aid's work?

The issue of human rights abuses comes up all the time, but what about alleged human rights abuses in Ireland? What is Mr. Wrafter's view on that? Does his office receive letters on such matters? What is the structure concerning that? Is his office seen as part of the much larger organisation, or can he engage in dealing with such matters?

Other speakers have mentioned placing human rights at the heart of the post-2015 development. Irish Government policy for international development notes the importance placed by citizen-organised civil society on promoting and protecting human rights. Can Ireland capitalise on its membership of the UN Human Rights Council to press for human rights to be at the centre of critical ongoing debates at UN level?

How does the unit do its job?