Clustered ID with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education & the Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly & of Assoc.

17 June 2016

Ireland aligns itself with the statement delivered by the EU and adds the following.

Mr President

Ireland welcomes both the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association and thanks them for their presentations today.

Ireland thanks Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association for the work on a broad array of issues throughout his mandate. We particularly appreciate the analysis put forward over the years concerning the impact of undue restrictions on funding, sectoral equity and indeed on development of good practices.

We appreciate the clarity with which the breadth of the phenomenon of fundamentalism, in all its forms, is set out in the report presented today (A/HRC/32/36), as being “a mind-set based on intolerance of difference – whether religious, secular, political, cultural, economic or otherwise”. We further appreciate the forward-looking analysis of the positive role that assembly and association rights can play in preventing the spread of extremism and radicalisation.

We address our question to both Special Rapporteurs:

We note the encouragement by Special Rapporteur Kiai for States and civil society actors to carry out education initiatives on the importance of pluralism, tolerance and diversity in democratic societies. We are also interested in the analysis of Special Rapporteur Singh on the role of education in fostering ‘common human values’. What concrete measures do you both recommend in this regard- are you addressing human rights education in its broadest form or more specific initiatives? What target audience do you have in mind? Are there multiplier factors you can point to?

Thank you