Written answers

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

UN Issues

Photo of Seán KyneSeán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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31. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the priorities being pursued by Ireland in terms of the UN Human Rights Council and if he will report on the contribution of our representatives to the work of the UNHRC in 2013 which was the first of the three year term of membership. [1473/14]

Photo of Eamon GilmoreEamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland’s three-year membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), from 2013-15, presents an opportunity to make an enhanced contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights. During our term, we are actively working to add value to the work of the Council and strengthen the institution itself.

Ireland’s approach to membership of the HRC is guided by the pledges and commitments made during our campaign to secure election, which reflect our well-established human rights priorities. These include the following:

- Defending the universality of human rights;

- Freedom of expression, (including on the internet);

- Freedom of religion or belief;

- Combating all forms of discrimination, including against LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) persons;

- The human rights situation in the Middle East;

- Strengthening the UN human rights treaty body system;

- The promotion and protection of human rights defenders;

- The promotion and protection of an enabling environment for civil society;

- Women’s rights, combating discrimination and gender-based violence.

We are also highlighting the importance of ensuring that human rights considerations underpin all areas of development – with a particular focus on gender equality, health, education and combating hunger.

The Human Rights Council meets in March, June and September every year. Ireland held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first six months of 2013, which encompassed the March and June sessions of the Human Rights Council. As Presidency, Ireland played a highly active and visible role in the HRC as part of the Joint EU Team, together with the EU Delegation in Geneva.

During both sessions, the joint EU Team led in the preparation of draft resolutions and the conduct of negotiations on a number of EU priority initiatives, namely on DPRK, Belarus, Myanmar/Burma, freedom of religion or belief and rights of the child. Ireland also worked in tandem with the EU Delegation to represent the EU at negotiations on resolutions relating to Sri Lanka, Mali, Syria, Libya, Eritrea, Middle East, human rights defenders, combating religious intolerance and illicit funds. Ireland also negotiated four further resolutions on behalf of the EU, on national human rights institutions, discrimination against women, cultural rights and foreign debt.

At the March session, I personally delivered the general statement on behalf of the European Union on a number of country situations and thematic priorities. In addition, Ireland delivered a further nine statements on behalf of the EU during the session, as well as seventeen separate introductory statements, general comments and explanations of vote during the final two days, when action was taken on the draft resolutions.

During the March session, Ireland co-sponsored 24 draft resolutions, including resolutions on the human rights of persons with disabilities; human rights of persons from minorities; social, economic and cultural rights; freedom of religion or belief; peaceful protests; torture; human rights defenders; self-determination of Palestinians; Israeli settlements; the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK); Myanmar/Burma; Iran; and Syria. We were also co-signatories to cross-regional statements on Syria, Bahrain, International Women’s Day, Reprisals against Human Rights Defenders and the Universal Periodic Review.

At the June session, Ireland co-sponsored 18 draft resolutions, including resolutions on Cote D’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Guinea, Somalia, Eritrea, and Belarus, as well as resolutions on violence against women, discrimination against women, internally displaced persons, and trafficking in persons. Ireland was also co-signatory to five cross-regional statements, on sexual orientation and gender identity; female genital mutilation, child, early and forced marriage; equal political participation; and on promoting human rights, including the right to the highest attainable standard of health, through sport, physical activity and play.

In the September session, Ireland took the lead within the Human Rights Council on two important new initiatives. First, as part of our commitment to ensuring that our human rights priorities and development programme are mutually reinforcing, Ireland led on a resolution on preventable mortality and morbidity of children under five which was adopted by consensus on 26 September 2013. 6.6 million children under the age of five die each year, mainly from preventable and treatable causes. This resolution focuses on how the HRC can act in elaborating a human rights based approach to this issue and support the much needed engagement of the human rights community in the ongoing efforts to strengthen accountability for children’s health. As a result of the adoption of this resolution, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is elaborating technical guidance, in close consultation with the World Health Organisation drawing on the particular expertise of that agency, and with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including Governments. Irish Aid is providing support through the World Health Organisation for the development of this technical guidance, which will be grounded in human rights principles, and will help national Ministries and other actors to design policies and programmes to reduce and eliminate preventable morbidity and mortality of children under five.

Ireland also took the lead on a new resolution on creating and maintaining a safe and enabling environment for civil society which was adopted on 27 September 2013. Civil society actors have come under increasing pressure in many parts of the world in recent years. In some countries, dialogue with civil society remains limited and the space for civil society engagement is narrow or shrinking. Restrictive legislation and repressive practices in some countries have led to stigmatisation, harassment, and even criminalisation of civil society actors. The resolution underlines the important contribution of civil society and calls on States to create and maintain a safe and enabling environment in which civil society can operate effectively. It also provides for a panel discussion to be held during the March 2014 session of the Human Rights Council on the challenges facing States in their efforts to ensure space for civil society, and lessons learnt and good practice in this regard. Subsequent to that discussion, Ireland intends to work with partner countries to develop a more substantive resolution on civil society space, which we hope to present to the Council in September 2014.

In addition to the initiatives referenced above, at the September 2013 session, Ireland co-sponsored 30 resolutions in total, on topics such as freedom of peaceful assembly and association, female genital mutilation, safety of journalists, equal political participation, reprisals, prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriage, older persons, as well as country-specific resolutions on Cambodia, Somalia, DRC, Yemen, and Syria. Ireland delivered a total of 18 separate national statements during the general debate, panel discussions and interactive dialogues, including on human rights situations in a number of countries, such as Egypt, Syria, Sri Lanka, DPRK, Sudan, and Somalia. We led a cross regional Joint Statement on preventable mortality and morbidity of children under five as a human rights concern. Ireland was also a co-signatory to Joint Statements on Bahrain and on the safety of journalists, and raised important issues such as children affected by armed conflict, and the role of civil society in integrating gender perspectives in the work of the HRC.

Ireland engaged actively in the three meetings of the Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review. Under this mechanism, the human rights situation of all UN Member States is reviewed every 4.5 years. The 15th session of the Working Group took place from 21 January to 1 February; the 16th session from 22 April to 3 May; and the 17th session from 21 October to 1 November 2013. A total of 42 states were reviewed during 2013.

Ireland will continue to respond proactively to emerging human rights situations and themes, including emergency situations, and to play an active role in the Council’s three yearly sessions (March, June and September) and in the UPR.

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