Enda Kenny
Ceist:54 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, he has taken to achieve Ireland's goals at the UN Commission on Human Rights. [12000/99]
Written Answers. - Commission on Human Rights.
On 30 March last, I outlined to the House the main priorities for Ireland as chair of the 55th session of the Commission on Human Rights. The main objectives were to facilitate a review of mechanisms and procedures of the commission; preparations for the world conference on racism; the tenth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and resources for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Under the first heading, review of the mechanisms of the commission, the chair held lengthy negotiations throughout the six weeks in an effort to reconcile intractable positions on the future of human rights mechanisms. Agreement was reached on a way forward and a working group was established to continue efforts to strengthen the mechanisms of the commission. However, the agreement achieved was fragile and future progress will depend very much on the political will of all participants. Ireland, for its part, will continue to play a constructive role and seek to bring all sides together to enhance the capacity of the commission to adequately address human rights situations.
Preparations for the world conference on racism were also advanced. A working group was established to prepare for the conference and this met several times in the course of the session and its report was adopted by the commission. Ireland played an active role in the working group. The Council of Europe has been designated the regional preparatory forum for the world con ference and we will be participating actively in these preparations.
This year is the tenth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the commission marked the occasion with a special session devoted to dialogue on children's rights. The session was chaired by Ambassador Anne Anderson, and representatives from the ILO, WHO and UNICEF also participated. In addition, the commission adopted a resolution on the rights of the child which addressed a broad range of children's rights, from the rights of children with disabilities to children affected by sanctions, children in armed conflict and sexual exploitation of children.
Efforts were also made to address the issue of resources for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and in this regard the commission adopted by consensus a resolution entitled "Strengthening the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights".
Apart from Ireland's role as chair of the commission, the Irish delegation contributed to all aspects of the work of the commission. We again tabled a resolution on religious intolerance which attracted the support of 61 co-sponsors, the highest to date, and was adopted by consensus. We contributed to the leading role taken by the EU on a number of other important issues including a strong chairman's statement on Colombia. The resolution on the death penalty was an EU initiative for the first time this year, and included a number of new elements including protection of minors and extradition. The commission also took a strong position on the situation in Kosovo, condemning the ethnic cleansing of the region. A special two-hour debate was held early in the session followed by weekly updates of the situation there by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In addition, the commission adopted two resolutions which addressed the human rights situation in Kosovo.
The commission adopted 82 resolutions on a wide variety of human rights issues, from country situations to thematic issues. However, any objective assessment would have to acknowledge that it was a particularly difficult session. It was disappointing that the capacity of the commission to address human rights violations was again perceived by a number of observers as being less than adequate. In particular, the efforts of some countries to prevent valid concerns regarding their human rights record being raised was frustrating. In this regard, I see the small but significant steps taken to review the mechanisms of the commission, with a view to enhancing its effectiveness, as the most important result of the work this year. The commission must be able to address serious violations of human rights when they occur, focusing its actions on the core problems.