Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 February 2005
137 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the human rights standards that should apply to trading relationships; and his further views on whether Ireland should trade with persistent human rights violators and thus profit from them and prop up their economies. [2802/05]
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 all states must continuously endeavour to better uphold and comply with the human rights obligations which devolve on them.
In terms of how we respond to human rights violations in other countries, including those with whom we have significant trading relations, there is a menu of options which can be explored, according to the circumstances of the individual country in question. This menu has a wide range and includes such options as dialogue on human rights issues, of which the EU-China human rights dialogue is an example; and the adoption of resolutions in multilateral human rights fora, such as the UN General Assembly or the UN Commission on Human Rights.
In deciding which option to engage, Ireland, the EU and the international community consider, among other things, the degree to which a country's human rights record is improving over time and its willingness to interact with the international community on human rights questions. Seen in this light, it is often the case that engagement and co-operation are a better way of moving forward towards the further protection of human rights than the condemnation, or the isolation of a country, in response to human rights violations.
With regard to the general relationship between human rights standards and trade, there are increasing efforts to focus on the concept of corporate social responsibility. Indeed codes of conduct now exist which outline for companies the human rights standards which they should endeavour to observe in the context of trading relationships. By way of example, one such code is the United Nations Global Compact, which was launched in 2000 by the United Nations Secretary General. The global compact sets out ten principles which businesses are encouraged to respect in a manner which would advance responsible corporate citizenship, thereby leading to increased worldwide respect for international human rights standards. My Department is currently examining how we might best react to other proposals on the issue currently before the UN.
