Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 March 2018
87. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on Ireland's response to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report on the database of all business enterprises in the occupied Palestinian territories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11048/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraHuman Rights Council Resolution 31/36, adopted in March 2016, called upon the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to produce a database of all business enterprises involved in activities relating to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian Territory. The EU and its member States, including Ireland, had concerns about this resolution, both because of the burden it would place on the resources of the OHCHR, and because the terms of the resolution were drawn in such broad language as to potentially include businesses with only tenuous or inadvertent connections with settlements. Despite these reservations, Ireland of course assured the OHCHR that we would cooperate fully with any request for assistance in the task they had been assigned. The OHCHR subsequently wrote to all UN Member States seeking any information relevant to the compilation of this database. In the case of Ireland the name of one company, which had been reported to have such connections with settlements, was included by the OHCHR in this request. The Government does not collect or maintain any information of its own in relation to such activities in settlements, and the communication from OHCHR gave no details of the reported activities of this company. Ireland’s response to the OHCHR therefore stated that the Irish authorities did not possess any additional information in relation to that case, or the nature of any allegations against this company.
The OHCHR is understood to be in the process of communicating with companies thus identified in this initial exercise, and may issue further information when this is complete.
The Government is committed to the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and has recently published its National Plan on Business and Human Rights 2017-2020. The implementation of this plan is a priority for the Government over the coming years, with the objective of promoting responsible business practice at home and abroad.
