Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney, T.D marks Human Rights Day
Press release
10 December 2019
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney, T.D marks Human Rights Day
On 10 December every year, we celebrate Human Rights Day to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and reflect on the progress made to date to protect the human rights of all, as well as the challenges, both old and new, that remain to be addressed.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, T.D., marked the occasion by reiterating Ireland’s commitment to the rights enshrined in the Declaration:
“Human rights are at the heart of Irish foreign policy. They shape our work at multilateral fora, including the European Union and the United Nations, and our bilateral engagement with other states. With this year’s theme focusing on ‘Youth Standing up for Human Rights’, we are also reminded of our responsibility to safeguard the rights of our children and enable youth to actively engage with human rights issues.
“Ireland is a strong supporter of the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as the UN’s principal office mandated to protect and promote the human rights for all. On Human Rights Day, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is proud to announce the allocation of a further €300,000 in funding to OHCHR, for its work on civil society space. This is in addition to our core contribution of €1,865,000 this year.
“Looking at the year ahead, Ireland will continue to use its voice internationally to advocate for a better world, with the protection of civil society space and human rights defenders among our highest priorities. At the UN Human Rights Council in June 2020, Ireland, together with cross-regional partners will again lead on a resolution on civil society space, the first initiative at the UN to address the matter as a human rights concern. My Department will also hold our annual Civil Society Forum on 17 January 2020 which will focus on Beijing +25: Taking Stock of Progress on Gender Equality highlighting Ireland’s strong commitment to advancing gender equality globally.”
Registration for the Civil Society Forum is now open and can be accessed here.
ENDS
Press Office
10 December 2019
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