Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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193. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the human rights record of the Qatari government; and whether an event organised by the Irish embassy in Abu Dhabi with the Qatari Director of Human Rights is consistent with national policy (details supplied). [63083/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Promoting respect for human rights is a core principle of Irish foreign policy. We consistently raise our concerns and promote human rights internationally, including through our Embassy network.

It appropriate that I acknowledge here the positive reforms that Qatar has made especially with respect to workers’ rights, including its engagement with the International Labour Organisation, and the empowerment and economic inclusion of women. Nevertheless we have ongoing human rights concerns with regard to Qatar, including the full implementation of legal reforms regarding labour and women's rights, gender equality and LGBTIQ+ rights, religious freedom and the use of the death penalty. We raise these concerns both in bilateral engagements and through international forums.

Ireland also regularly raises human rights concerns about Qatar through EU mechanisms. The 6th EU-Qatar Human Rights Dialogue, on 25 September 2024 in Brussels, included discussion on topics such as labour rights, women’s rights, vulnerable groups, fundamental freedoms, rule of law including the right to fair trial and the death penalty, digital rights, and freedom of religion.

In 2024, Ireland used the UN Human Rights Council’s mechanism, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), to recommend that Qatar further improves conditions for migrant workers, including by ensuring that the minimum wage established by Law number 17 of 2020 remains in line with inflation, and abolishes the death penalty and replaces it with a penalty that is fair, proportionate and consistent with international human rights standards. At the same time, we used the opportunity to welcome Qatar’s progress, since the previous cycle, on advancing human rights of migrant employees including the introduction of Law 17 2020 on the minimum wage for workers and domestic workers, and Decision 17 of 2021 for the protection of workers from heat stress.

The event to which the Deputy has referred was a screening of a documentary exploring the life and career of our former President and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, followed by a panel discussion. Events such as these provide an opportunity to highlight Ireland’s own relatively recent experience of advancing an inclusive understanding of human rights, to a broader audience. The attendance and engagement of senior host Government representatives at such events should be welcomed as it provides an important possibility for engagement on these issues. In the context of Qatar’s current membership of the UN Human Rights Council, the presence of the Director of Human Rights at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs at this specific event was particularly welcome.

I should also take this opportunity to again commend Qatar for the positive role that it has played and continues to play as a mediator and peace broker in the Middle East, and especially in Gaza.