Ireland welcomed the decisions at the UN world summit in New York to establish a human rights council and to double the resources of the High Commissioner for Human Rights from the UN regular budget over the next five years. During my recent visit to New York, I conveyed directly to Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, and Jan Eliasson, President of the General Assembly, Ireland's continued support for the full implementation of these decisions.
Negotiations on the composition, remit and work practices of the human rights council are currently under way in New York under the chairmanship of the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Jan Eliasson. Ireland is actively contributing to the co-ordinated EU input to these negotiations. In our discussions with EU partners, we have stressed that it is paramount that the human rights council should be a standing body with the ability to address serious and urgent human rights situations. It is also essential that the participation in the human rights council by NGOs and civil society allows them at least the same degree of access as they currently enjoy at the Commission on Human Rights.
In addition, it is crucial that the negotiated outcome should provide for a smooth transition between the Commission on Human Rights and the human rights council. This would apply in particular to issues such as the carry-over of mandates of special procedures from the Commission to the human rights council. The establishment of a robust human rights council should lead to a stronger and more effective United Nations and to an enhanced focus on human rights issues.
Ireland also welcomed the UN summit decision to double the resources of the High Commissioner for Human Rights from the UN regular budget over the next five years and stressed that this commitment must be reflected in the decisions of the UN General Assembly. Ireland has long been a firm supporter of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the work of her office and has recognised the importance of providing adequate resources to the office to ensure that it can carry out its important work. Ireland is the seventh largest voluntary contributor to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR, in absolute terms and the largest contributor when our contribution is expressed as a percentage of gross national income.
At present, revised estimates for the years 2006 to 2007, including a proposal for an increase of $24 million in the regular budget of the OHCHR, are due to be presented formally to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly for consideration later this week. This represents an increase of 40% in regular budget funding over two years which would bring the regular budget funding of the office to $91 million and is welcome progress towards achieving the 100% increase over five years agreed at the UN summit. Ireland and its EU partners will actively support the proposals of the Secretary General on these estimates in respect of the OHCHR in the fifth committee negotiations.
