Tánaiste welcomes adoption of UN-Council of Europe Resolution

The Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Michéal Martin, has welcomed the adoption of a Resolution that will increase and protect cooperation between the UN and the Council of Europe.

The resolution was adopted yesterday, 26 April at the United Nations General Assembly. Ireland and Iceland are co-penholders as the former and current Presidency of the CoE Committee of Ministers.

The Council of Europe was established in 1949 and is the continent’s largest and oldest intergovernmental organisation. Ireland was amongst the organisation’s ten founding members.

Speaking after the adoption of the Resolution, the Tánaiste said:

"Ireland warmly welcomes the adoption of a Resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe with 122 votes in favour. As Presidency of the Council of Europe last year, Ireland actively worked to uphold and promote its core values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

"We are proud to raise our voice to champion human rights, defend the multilateral system and to work to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and abuses.

"Our Council of Europe Presidency came at a critical juncture and a time of profound crisis following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Against this backdrop, Ireland and Iceland listened carefully to Member States in negotiating this Resolution. We anticipated that it would be challenging and Russia would contest elements of the Resolution, following its expulsion from the CoE last year."

As the Council of Europe prepares for its fourth Summit in Reykjavik, the Tánaiste said:

"I would like to wish Iceland, our co-facilitator and current Chair, the very best as it prepares for the Council of Europe Summit next month as we seek to renew and recommit our collective support for democratic values."

Notes

Established in 1949, and headquartered in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe is the continent’s largest and oldest intergovernmental organisation.

Ireland was amongst the organisation’s ten founding members. Following the expulsion of the Russian Federation on 16 March 2022, it comprises 46 member states, including the 27 EU member states, the United Kingdom, Turkiye and Ukraine.

The organisation plays a leading role in the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law across Europe and beyond – notably through the European Court of Human Rights, which ensures the observance by member states of their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The European Convention on Human Rights is also a key element of the Good Friday Agreement.

Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for a seventh time, from May to September 2022.

Over the course of these six months, Ireland chaired more than a dozen meetings of the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, strengthening standards across a range of key areas, from media freedoms to the protection of human rights in conflict zones.

Iceland is the current Presidency and will host a Summit, the fourth for the CoE, in May 2023 in Reykjavik.