Universal Periodic Review

12^th Session of the Working Group on the UPR

Geneva, 3- 14 October 2011

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Statement of the Algerian Delegation

on the UPR of Ireland

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Geneva, 6 October 2011

Mme President,

We welcome H.E Mr Alan Shatter, Minister of Justice and Equality and his delegation and thank him for his presentation on the national report of Ireland to the UPR.

We commend Ireland for ratifying most of international human rights instruments and appreciate the openness showed with regard to ratifying other conventions. 

We recommend that Ireland ratify the CRPD already signed in 2007 as well as the ICMW.   

The national report as well as the compilation of the OHCHR referred to prison population that has increased constantly in recent years. This apparently had negatively affected living conditions in the prisons notably in terms of accommodation and in-cell sanitation.

We recommend that Ireland take effective measures to improve prison’s conditions.

We are encouraged by Ireland’s efforts in combating domestic violence by elaborating a framework to prevent and respond to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

We recommend that Ireland continue to strengthen its policies and laws against domestic violence.

The national report indicates that Ireland allocates over 0.5% of its GNP to Official Development Assistance (ODA). We appreciate that this commitment is being fulfilled despite the current economic difficulties.

We recommend that Ireland continue to allocate financial assistance for developing countries in the framework of ODA and meet the commitments made in this regard at the international level. 

Finally, we noted the existence of several apparently overlapping human rights bodies dealing with complaints, monitoring and inspection such as those referred to in Section III (B) of the national report. We appreciate comments made by the Head of the delegation this morning in this context and would be interested in hearing further elaboration about coordination between all these bodies?

Thank you.