Ireland - Universal Periodic Review

UPR 39, November 10, 2021
Recommendations by Canada

Recommendations

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Thank you, Madam President.

Canada welcomes Ireland's progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights and the rights of persons with disabilities.

Canada wishes Ireland success in continuing to implement the "Community Sponsorship Ireland" program, which gives private citizens and community organizations an opportunity to directly sponsor newly-arrived refugee families.

Canada recommends that Ireland:

1. Take concrete steps to ratify and implement the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities.
2. Work to eliminate barriers to accessing reproductive health services.
3. Develop a plan to ensure the commitment to end "direct provision" by 2024 and the timely introduction of an alternative system for supporting those seeking international protection in Ireland.

Canada welcomes the commitment of the Irish government to end the direct provision system of accommodation asylum/protection seekers by 2024, noting the disproportionate impact living in these conditions has had during the recent pandemic. The recent announcement of the appointment of a new independent group to which will track progress is a step in the right direction.

Background

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission was established on 1 November 2014, as an independent public body under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. The Commission is Ireland's independent national human rights institution and its national equality body. It operates independently of Government, with its institutional independence guaranteed in its establishing legislation, which provides for accountability of the Commission for its statutory functions to the legislature of Ireland.

Irish authorities have demonstrated their commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights by the signing into law of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. However, according to the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Amnesty International, gaps remain in legislation affecting women's access to reproductive health services.

Ireland signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007 and ratified it in March 2018. Ireland is yet to sign up to the optional protocol that would enable people with disabilities to make complaints to the UN about potential rights violations.

Canada welcomes the adoption of the "Community Sponsorship Ireland" program, launched in November 2019, which gives private citizens and community organizations an opportunity to directly sponsor newly-arrived refugee families in Ireland. The program was developed in collaboration with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with civil society organizations.