Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005
493 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the stated opinion reported on 19 January 2005 regarding the obligations of countries to adhere to internationally agreed human rights norms; and his views on whether human rights are universal and the need for national cohesion is a valid reason to violate human rights norms. [1825/05]
View answerHuman rights are and have always been a priority of successive Irish Governments and a central part of our foreign policy. The Irish Government has consistently stated its belief that the protection and promotion of international human rights is vital and that, despite the different approaches to human rights which may exist from one culture to another, international human rights standards are, as outlined in the Vienna declaration and programme of action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, universal, indivisible, interdependent and inter-related.
States acquire international obligations in relation to human rights, either through ratification of a treaty or through international customary law, and the Irish Government is of the belief that all states must continuously endeavour to better uphold and comply with the human rights obligations which devolve on them.
The universal nature of international human rights standards means that national peculiarities such as history and cultural tradition, are not an excuse for non-compliance with international human rights obligations. However, such factors can help explain why human rights standards have not been respected and can be borne in mind when seeking to identify the most effective way for a state to implement its international human rights obligations.
In terms of how we respond to the human rights situation in other countries there is a menu of options which can be explored, according to the circumstances of the individual country in question. Ireland and the European Union, in deciding which option to engage, among other things, consider the degree to which a country's human rights record is improving over time and its willingness to interact with the international community, especially the United Nations, on human rights questions. Seen in this light, sometimes condemnation on its own, or the isolation of a country in response to human rights violations, is not the most effective means of securing an improvement in the situation.
Engagement and co-operation can often be a better way of moving towards the further promotion and protection of human rights. It is for this reason that Ireland has supported the development and continuance of, for example, the EU-China and EU-Iran human rights dialogues, which allow for structured engagement with those countries on human rights issues.
