Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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114. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps his Department is taking to combat global Christian persecution. [4434/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland strongly condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who the victims are.

The promotion of freedom of religion or belief is a priority for Ireland and the EU’s human rights engagement at both bilateral and multilateral levels, as reaffirmed in The Global Island: Ireland's Foreign Policy for a Changing World.

At a multilateral level, the right to freedom of religion or belief features prominently in Ireland’s engagement at the United Nations including in the General Assembly, at the Human Rights Council, and during our recent term on the Security Council, as well as through our participation in intergovernmental alliances dedicated to religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities. Ireland consistently co-sponsors resolutions on freedom of religion or belief at the UN General Assembly and at the Human Rights Council. Ireland is also a member of the International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Within the EU, Ireland works with partners to address the persecution of religious minorities. During our Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2013, Ireland played a key role in the development and adoption of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief. These guidelines provide a framework for the promotion of freedom of religion and belief in the EU's external human rights policy.