Human Rights Council 37th session (26 February – 23 March 2018)

Annual high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming

The promotion and protection of human rights in the light of the UPR mechanism; challenges and opportunities

Statement of Ireland

26 February 2018

Ireland aligns itself with the statement of the European Union.

Mr President,

We thank the distinguished panellists for their insights.

The Universal Periodic Review is a unique mechanism in multilateral fora in that it enables consideration of the human rights situation in all countries.    For this reason, Ireland strongly supports the UPR and is committed to engaging fully with it.   This means that not only do we take seriously the recommendations that are made to Ireland during our own review but we also have a policy of making recommendations on every country under review during a particular cycle.   Ireland encourages all other States to engage fully with the UPR.

Ireland warmly welcomes the participation of NGOs and civil society actors in the UPR process as they provide valuable information in advance of UPR sessions. Their reports allow reviewing countries to understand the perspective of civil society on the human rights situation in a particular state.  Ireland reiterates its support for these groups to carry out their work without fear of reprisal.

Mr President

Full and committed engagement with the UPR process would serve to greatly increase its value as a mechanism for human rights discussion. We would welcome the views of the panellists as to how we can further encourage Member States to engage with the UPR.

Thank you