Bernard Allen
Question:257 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of human rights violations registered to date in 2004 with the human rights desk in his Department in the case of Iran. [28851/04]
View answerWednesday, 17 November 2004
Questions (217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222)
Bernard Allen
Question:258 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of human rights violations registered to date in 2004 with the human rights desk in his Department in the case of Iraq. [28852/04]
View answerBernard Allen
Question:259 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of human rights violations registered to date in 2004 with the human rights desk in his Department in the case of Sudan. [28853/04]
View answerBernard Allen
Question:260 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of human violations registered to date in 2004 with the human rights desk in his Department in the case of Burma. [28854/04]
View answerBernard Allen
Question:261 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of human violations registered to date in 2004 with the human rights desk in his Department in the case of Israel. [28855/04]
View answerBernard Allen
Question:262 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of human violations registered to date in 2004 with the human rights desk in his Department in the case of Palestine. [28856/04]
View answerWritten answers
I will take Questions Nos. 257 to 262, inclusive, together.
While my Department continually monitors the overall human rights situation in certain countries we do not maintain national registers of individual violations of human rights. We do, however, pay particular attention to the human rights records of all the countries mentioned by the Deputy.
In common with our EU partners, the Government has tabled resolutions at the third committee of the UN General Assembly and at the UN Commission for Human Rights on several of the countries mentioned and, in the context of EU common foreign and security policy, has strongly promoted the advancement of human rights policies in those countries. In addition, we pursue a vigorous policy in defence of human rights defenders. Through this policy, we seek to create a space in which those best placed to advance human rights on the ground can work to best effect.
My Department, through the Government's overseas development aid programme, also supports human rights and democratisation programmes globally through various funding schemes. The main funding mechanism is our human rights and democratisation scheme, which has the broad objective of assisting the development of democratic processes and institutions and the promotion and protection of human rights in developing countries outside of our priority programme countries. In 2004, our total allocation for this purpose was €3 million.
In the case of the countries mentioned by the Deputy, Ireland has been funding, on a regular basis, human rights and democratisation NGOs in Palestine, Israel, Burma and Sudan.