Ireland was recently elected to the UN Commission on Human Rights for a three year term which will commence on 1 January 1997. As a member of the Commission, Ireland will continue to give the fullest expression to the priority attached by the Irish people to the promotion of respect for human rights. Our main priorities will include a commitment to developing the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and strengthening the role of that office including its management of the UN Centre for Human Rights in Geneva. We are also committed to seeking the allocation of additional resources to human rights in the UN system under the overall direction of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner.
In view of this we greatly regret that the allocation of funding to human rights in the UN regular budget has been reduced. This is part of system-wide cuts which apply to every agency throughout the United Nations system and not just to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. These cuts have been applied because of the general financial crisis in the UN budget, caused to a large extent by arrears of payments by some member states.
It is open to member states of the United Nations also to make voluntary contributions to UN programmes in the field of human rights. In the current financial year, for example, Ireland is contributing to the UN Fund for Victims of Torture, the UN Voluntary Fund for Technical Development in Human Rights and the Centre for Human Rights, which is under the direct control of the High Commissioner. In addition, a number of human rights projects are supported under my Department's Human Rights and Democratisation Fund. Contributions to all these funds in the current financial year show a substantial increase over the last financial year. In the case of the Centre for Human Rights this is the first contribution by Ireland to assist the centre.