Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will attend COP27 as head of the Irish delegation for the second week of the conference from 14 to 18 November. Ireland continues to advocate for COPs to be transparent and inclusive for all, promoting the active participation of women and young people in negotiations, and facilitating civil society attendance and engagement. This remains the case more than ever for COP27.

Human rights issues form part of Ireland's regular engagement with Egypt. Ireland has expressed concern regarding the protection of human rights in Egypt, including rights of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and the constrained space for civil society. The protection of human rights defenders, which includes the fight against reprisals, is a key part of our multilateral work at the UN Human Rights Council and at the UN General Assembly.

Ireland's long-standing support for climate justice and adaptation recognises that women, girls, LGBTQ+ people and other marginalised groups are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis and are more vulnerable to the shocks and stresses associated with current and future climate change. Reflecting this and our domestic commitment to climate literacy, public engagement and participation, Ireland will also be engaging in the development of a new action plan for the action for climate empowerment, ACE, stream, placing these issues alongside human rights and youth participation at the forefront of the process where they belong. I will also be setting aside time in my programme to meet civil society groups, including human rights activists, as I did in Glasgow last year.

See this speech in context