John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Gilmore very much for his very comprehensive statement. I commend him on his ongoing work, which is very important. I refer not only to his work on human rights in general but specifically to his work in Colombia with regard to the peace process. It must be said that agreement was historic, although it has been five years since its signing. There has to be some profound concern about the lack of overall progress on the implementation of the peace agreement. The lack of implementation by the Colombian Government of some of the crucial and critical obligations under the agreement has left the peace process weakened. It is also denying the Colombian people the opportunity to experience what I see as the agreement's transformative potential to build a sustainable and lasting peace within Colombia.

I have a couple of specific questions arising from that. More than 290 former members of Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC, have been murdered since the signing of the peace agreement, leaving aside all of the murders of front-line human rights defenders, trade unionists and civil society leaders. Does Mr. Gilmore recognise FARC's compliance with its obligations under the agreement? What more can be done internationally to ensure maximum pressure is put on the Colombian Government to support the transitional justice mechanisms, which are key and critical to the success of the peace agreement?

What support can the EU and Mr. Gilmore give, or what pressure can they apply, to the Colombian Government to maximise efforts to implement the agreement in its remaining time in office?

What efforts is the EU making to respond to the human rights crisis in Colombia and to hold its government to account for its slow implementation of the key human rights-related areas of the peace agreement? This year, many protests took place in Colombia. This committee has heard a great deal of evidence from Front Line Defenders, human rights activists and civil society groups. I have been in communication with them over violations of people's rights and the murders that have been carried out by police and state officials within Colombia. How are the EU and Mr. Gilmore following up on police violence during the protests to ensure justice for victims and that state officials and the Colombian Government are held to account for human rights violations, including murders? How can there be faith in the Colombian state's ability to hold its police force to account in light of such a history of impunity? These are not just my observations but those of people on the ground who have seen murders being carried out by state forces without anyone being held to account, unfortunately.

This committee has given some focus to the issue of business and human rights. Last week, members of the Irish Coalition for Business and Human Rights, ICBHR, appeared before us. It published a fantastic report – I am unsure as to whether Mr. Gilmore has seen it – entitled “Make it Your Business”, which outlines many of the its concerns over the global impact of corporate harm. The report lists a series of countries across the world aside from Colombia, including Israel and its illegal settlements, Pakistan, Uganda and Kenya. The ICBHR states that, due to exploitation by major corporations, we have seen the forced removal and displacement of indigenous peoples from their lands, exploitation, etc. Like me, many organisations working in this field in Ireland and at EU level see a major reluctance to put in place a binding UN treaty designed to make international corporations and other enterprises accountable in their home countries for their activities overseas. This committee has dealt extensively with the ESB and its involvement in the Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia where there are major human rights violations yet the ESB continues to act with perceived impunity. Why is there such a major reluctance at EU level to sign up to a binding UN treaty? There have been eight rounds of negotiations so far and the EU is seen as one of the bodies that is dragging its heels on signing up to a treaty.

I will raise a final point before allowing the Chair and other members to contribute. In terms of human rights violations, why is there such reluctance by the EU to put in place concrete measures to ensure that the human rights of Palestinians are protected? We have had report after report. This State has been the first EU state to declare formally that Israel has de facto annexed Palestinian lands illegally through its expansion of settlements within occupied territories. Why is there such a major reluctance to hold Israel to account for the continuing human rights violations within the occupied territories in Palestine?

I have listened to the opening statement and there was no mention of Palestine. I ask Mr. Gilmore to point me to someone else. I know that Mr. Michael Ling has given huge focus to this and produced comprehensive reports on the apartheid system that is being perpetrated by Israel. Why is there a reluctance to take on Israel and hold it to account for its continued human rights violations, which allows them to continue to act with impunity?