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Eleven people will today be formally appointed to serve on the first ever statutory advisory committee in Ireland to support monitoring of Ireland’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The eleven members are appointed to their roles on the Disability Advisory Committee by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (the Commission). The Disability Advisory Committee, made up of a majority of people with disabilities is brought together by the Commission to support its statutory function of monitoring Ireland’s implementation of the UN Convention. The CRPD was ratified in 2018 more than a decade after being first signed by Ireland and is now in force. Ireland is expected to produce its first report to the United Nations in Geneva on its implementation of the Convention in 2020. Article 33 of the Convention requires an independent mechanism to monitor the implementation, a role which will be fulfilled by the Commission. The appointments to the Disability Advisory Committee are for a three-year term and come after an open competitive process. Eleven people are being appointed with a significant majority of members being people with disabilities: (Full biographies have been provided by the members, and are available in the editor’s note)
  • Gary Allen
  • Bernie Bradley
  • Jacqui Browne
  • Adrian Carroll
  • John Bosco Conama
  • Shelly Gaynor
  • Eliona Gjecaj
  • Brian Hayes
  • Rosaleen McDonagh
  • Kieran Murphy
  • Vivian Rath
As set out under Section 18 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014, the Chair and Vice Chair must be Members of the Commission. According to Census 2016, over 13% or over 643,000 people in Ireland have a disability. Research published recently by the Commission with the ESRI has shown that people with disabilities continue to experience higher levels of discrimination compared to those without. Emily Logan, Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission stated:
 “The question of how Ireland meets its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities must be put in the spotlight.  This new Disability Advisory Committee will be an important mechanism to ensure that the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission can fulfil its mandate to hold the State to account on the rights of people with disabilities. “The Members of the Disability Advisory Committee bring with them significant personal and professional experience, and wide expertise in relation to the rights of persons with disabilities in Ireland.”
ENDS For further information, please contact: Brian Dawson, IHREC Communications Manager, 01 8589601 / 087 0697095 bdawson@ihrec.ie Follow us on twitter @_IHREC

Editor’s Note:

The Disability Advisory Committee

The Disability Advisory Committee will advise the Commission on the fulfilment of its independent monitoring role set out under CRPD Article 33. It is established under Section 18 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 and will have fourteen members, eleven recruited through an open public process and three Commission Members. The Disability Advisory Committee will meet at least three times and year the Committee members are appointed for a three-year period. The full listing of the eleven Members being appointed is below, including biographies provided by the Members themselves. Photos of the Members are available at the following link: Members of the Disability Advisory Committee [table id=18 /]

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission,

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is an independent public body, appointed by the President and directly accountable to the Oireachtas. The Commission has a statutory remit set out under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act (2014) to protect and promote human rights and equality in Ireland, and build a culture of respect for human rights, equality and intercultural understanding in the State. As part of its statutory remit, the Commission has a specific function to work towards the elimination of discrimination.