The Embassy of Ireland was delighted to co-host an event on the 16 December to welcome Professor Michael O’Flaherty as the new Director of the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency here in Vienna.
The event was hosted together with the European Commission in Vienna and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights. First Secretary Gerard McCoy spoke on behalf of the Embassy about Professor O’Flaherty’s distinguished career.
Throughout his storied career, Professor O’Flaherty has worked closely on a number of occasions with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Most notably he served as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, an area very close to our hearts. More recently, he served on DFAT’s NGO Standing Committee on Human Rights. In addition, as the President of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway, Professor O’Flaherty was at the centre of Ireland’s Human Rights Community and active in education the next generation on the importance of Human Rights.
The Embassy would like to congratulate the Fundamental Rights Agency on appointing a man of this calibre as Director. We have full confidence that the Fundamental Rights Agency will continue to flourish under the stewardship of Professor O’Flaherty, and we look forward to continuing cooperation with the agency in the future.
