Human Rights Conference, Dublin Castle, 3 - 4 March 2000
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Brian Cowen T.D., will open a major Human Rights Conference, hosted jointly by the Government of Ireland and the Council of Europe, in Dublin Castle on Friday, 3 March 2000. The Conference, "The Protection of Human Rights in the 21st Century: Towards Greater Complementarity within and between European Regional Organisations", is one of the key events of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of Europe.
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Alvaro Gil-Robles, currently carrying out a visit to the North Caucasian region of the Russian Federation, will present the keynote speech. The organisation's European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), also visiting the Russian Federation this week - including the North Caucasian region- will be represented at the Conference.
In addition to persons listed in the attached Conference Programme, the Conference will be addressed by:
Mr Evgeny Gusarov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Mr Oleg Mironov, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation
Officals from the 41 member States of the Council of Europe will attend, together with representatives from the Council of Europe, UN, OSCE and EU. Representatives from NGOs, national human rights institutions, academics and European parliamentarians will also participate.
Note to Editors
Press accreditation will take place at Dublin Castle from 8.30 am on Friday 3 March 2000. Details of the conference programme are attached.
"The Protection of Human Rights in the 21st Century: Towards Greater Complementarity within and between European Regional Organisations
3 March, 2000
8.30 - 9.30 Registration
Chair: The Hon. Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness, Supreme Court
9.30 - 9.50 Welcoming Speech
Mr Brian Cowen T.D, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
9.50 - 10.20 Opening Remarks
Mr Walter Schwimmer, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Mr Antonio La Pergola, President of the European Commission for Democracy through Law ( Venice Commission)
Mr Michael McDowell S.C., Attorney General
10.20- 10.40 Key Note Speech
Mr Alvaro Gil-Robles y Gil Delgado
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
11.00 - 1.00 Presentation: The concept of complementarity explored Professor Conor Gearty, School of Law, Kings College London
Presentation: Complementarity and the inter-institutional challenges
Professor Philip Alston, European University Institute Florence
Complementarity within the Council of Europe
Chair: Mr James Hamilton, Director of Public Prosecutions, Irish member of the Venice Commission
2.30-3.30 Perspectives from:
Mr Pierre-Henri Imbert, the Director General of Human Rights of the Council of Europe
Ambassador Justin Harman, Ambassador of Ireland to the Council of Europe
Judge Christos Rozakis, Vice-President, European Court of Human Rights
Mr Rudolf Bindig, First Vice-Chairperson, Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Mr John Olden, Second Vice-President of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)
3.30- 4.00 Open Discussion with: Ms Katlin Gönczöl, Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Hungary, Ms Faith Pansy Tlakula, South African Human Rights Commission, Ms Jane Liddy, former Irish member of the European Commission on Human Rights
Complementarity between international organisations
Chair: Ms Karen Kenny, Co-director of International Human Rights Trust
4.20-5.00 Inter-institutional Perspectives from:
Mr Harold Koh, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour
Mr John Packer, Director in the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities
Mr James Stewart, Chief of Prosecutions, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Professor William Schabas, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway, expert on the Inter-American System
5.00-6.00 Open Discussion Period with: Mr Robin Allen-Payne, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Ms Mary Lawlor, Director of Amnesty International, Irish Section
6.30 - 8.00 Reception at Dublin Castle, hosted by Mr Michael McDowell S.C, Attorney General
4 March 2000
Toward greater inter-institutional co-ordination and normative coherence in Europe
Chair: Mr Michael Farrell, Co-Chair, Irish Council for Civil Liberties
9.00 - 9.15 Video presentation: the Rt. Hon. Christopher Patten, member of the European Commission with Responsibility for External Relations
9.15 - 9.35 Background Presentation: the need for greater complementarity in Europe
Professor Andrew Clapham, Graduate Institute for International Studies, Geneva
Inter-institutional complementarity in action (1):
Toward more effective inter-institutional co-ordination in Europe
Chair: Anne Anderson, Ambassador of Ireland to the United Nations, Geneva and Chair of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
10.00 - 10.40 Perspectives from:
Dr Janne Haaland Matlary, State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway
Mr Bertrand Ramcharan, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
11.00 - 11.40 Perspectives from
Mr Hans-Peter Furrer, Director General of Political Affairs, Council of Europe
Mr Angel Viñas, Director of Multilateral Relations, European Commission
Inter-institutional complementarity in Action (2):
Toward greater normative coherence in Europe - implications of the EU draft Charter of Fundamental Rights
Chair: Mr Mahon Hayes, former Irish Permanent Representative to the UN, Alternate Representative on the drafting committee of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
2.30-3.30 Perspectives from:
Mme Catherine Lalumière MEP, former Secretary General of the Council of Europe and member of the drafting committee of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
Mr Christian Strohal, Director of Human Rights, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, representing the Austrian Presidency of the OSCE
Judge Françoise Tulkens, European Court of Human Rights
3.30-4.30 Open Discussion with: Professor David Harris, University of Nottingham, Professor Christine Bell, University of Ulster, Professor Brice Dickson, Head of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Mr Jerome Connolly, Irish Commission for Justice and Peace
5.00-5.20 Presentation of Summary Report by the General Rapporteur: Dr Gerard Quinn
