Minister Conor Lenihan welcomes new Human Rights Standing Committee

Minister Conor Lenihan welcomes new Human Rights Standing Committee

“Civil Society plays a vital role in Ireland’s Human Rights policy” - Lenihan

Conor Lenihan, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with Special Responsibility for Overseas Development and Human Rights, today met the newly-appointed members of the Department of Foreign Affairs NGO Standing Committee on Human Rights. 

The Minister congratulated the new members on their appointment and thanked them for their service.  The Minister stressed the vital role of the Committee and of civil society in general in the formulation of policy in the human rights arena. 

“This Committee brings together a cross-section of representatives from civil society and facilitates open dialogue on key human rights issues,” he said.  “Ireland is privileged to benefit from a thriving civil society and this Committee provides a very useful forum whereby the concerns of the human rights NGOs are voiced at Government level.” 

“By working together, Government and civil society can ensure that Ireland continues to play a high profile, active role in the promotion and protection of human rights at the international level.  As we see the challenges facing the new Human Rights Council and the urgent need to address human rights violations around the world, such as those in Darfur, the need for us all to work together is greater than ever,”  

“I wish the Committee members well in their work in the coming years and I look forward to working closely with them in discussing and debating the future of our human rights policy,” he concluded.   

Note for Editors

The Department of Foreign Affairs- NGO Standing Committee on Human Rights was established in 1997 in recognition of the role played by the NGO community in the human rights area.  It comprises representatives of human rights NGOs and experts, who serve in a voluntary capacity, as well as officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs. 

The purpose of the Committee is to provide a formal framework for a regular exchange of views between the Department and representatives of the NGO community. 

The new Committee will hold office for a period of 2 years, until December 2008.  The membership of the new Committee is shown in the attached table.

ENDS

Dublin

12 December 2006

Department of Foreign Affairs/NGO Standing Committee on Human Rights

Membership