Vol. 514 No. 4
78 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the countries in respect of which most international concern is expressed in regard to human rights abuses; the proposals, if any, he has to mobilise international action to address these issues and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4354/00]
Human rights are a priority of this Government and a central element of our foreign policy. In co-operation with our EU partners and other concerned states, the Government continually monitors the human rights situation in many countries throughout the world. We believe that the international community has an obligation to act when it has concerns, and that these concerns should be pursued whenever possible in a constructive spirit of co-operation and dialogue, conscious of the responsibility which devolves on all Governments to promote and protect human rights.
This Government has commented publicly on many occasions on those situations which give rise to grave concern, in a national capacity and as a member of the EU and the Council of Europe. These concerns have also been raised on a consistent basis by this country's representatives at the UN General Assembly and at the UN Commission on Human Rights. During our term as Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Ireland sought to facilitate progress on a wide range of human rights issues. The Irish delegation will be active at the next session of the commission, which will take place from 20 March until 28 April 2000.
Applying concentrated international pressure through multilateral organisations such as the EU, UN and the Council of Europe is one of the most effective means of combating human rights abuses. Throughout Ireland's chairmanship of the committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe we have focused attention on the role of that institution in upholding human rights standards. A visit by my predecessor to Moscow highlighted the international community's concern at events in Chechnya. I also support fully Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles in his efforts to develop his mandate as commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe.
However, despite the efforts of the global community in international and regional fora such as those I have mentioned, it has to be acknowledged that the systems in place for preventing and tackling flagrant human rights abuses do not always prove adequate. Reasons for this range from the failure of states to ratify relevant international instruments to a lack of resources and even political will to focus on these problems. The Secretary General of the UN Mr. Kofi Annan has initiated a debate on how the international community can react most effectively to crisis situations and humanitarian disasters, such as those that occurred in East Timor and Kosovo.
This debate is focusing on the need for clarification of the principles and the establishment of agreed criteria for external intervention. In this regard, there is an evident need to reconcile the requirements of international human rights provisions with other principles such as national sovereignty or non-intervention as established by the UN Charter. Ireland is actively involved in this debate and is currently engaged in discussions on the specific issues arising, with like-minded countries, notably in a group known as the Human Security Network. This initiative of the Canadian and Norwegian Governments is aimed at establishing the principle of human security as a central element in the international community's approach to situations of conflict.
