Negative effects of Economic Inequality exacerbated by Climate Change
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘The Commission’) has published its Submission to the UN Human Rights Council on the implementation of recommendations made during Ireland’s Third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2021. Under the UPR process, States are assessed by other UN countries on their human rights record across a broad range of human rights. These rights include civil and political rights such as the right to liberty, freedom of speech, freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment; as well as economic, social and cultural rights such as the right to health, education and social security. While we commend the State on its preparation of a mid-term report, there are significant limitations to its approach, which focuses on policy and legislative outputs, rather than measuring outcomes and capturing the lived experience of individuals and communities. While positive steps taken since the last review are noted, we are concerned that, overall, progress is falling short of what is required. We encourage the State to consider the recommendations in our submission and use the mid-term period as an opportunity for reflection and proactive preparation in advance of the Fourth UPR Cycle for Ireland. We have made recommendations in areas such as climate change, taxation, health and housing, including appropriate accommodation for Travellers and International Protection Applicants. We are extremely concerned about the failure of the State to adequately protect Economic, Social and Cultural (ESC) rights in Ireland as demonstrated in the persistent and acute crises across healthcare, housing and economic equality. To ensure full protection of these rights, ESC rights must be included as justiciable rights in the Irish Constitution, and be backed by appropriate statutory protections and policy measures. Deirdre Malone, Director of the Commission said
“Economic inequality is a defining challenge of our time, one that is dangerously exacerbated by the impact of climate change. Its negative effects are experienced right throughout society, but are most severely felt by our most vulnerable groups, whose experiences must be heeded. “The State has a duty to use every tool at its disposal, including putting ESC rights on a legislative footing, to deliver on these rights and ensure all people living in Ireland are protected equally.”
Key recommendations include:
- That the State proceeds with the immediate ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol of the Convention against Torture.
- That the State introduces mandatory human rights due diligence legislation that includes the full value chain of all companies and environmental protections and ensures effective sanction and enforcement.
- That the State addresses the identified tax structures which are impacting rights protections in other territories and carries out ongoing and regular independent assessments on the impact of its policies on cross-border tax abuse.
- That the State leverages all available resources, including domestic and EU, to ensure transformative mitigation and adaptation actions in response to climate change and biodiversity loss.
- That the State amend the Health (Regulation of Termination during Pregnancy) Act 2018, in line with the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Operation of the Act, as a matter of urgency.
ENDS/ You can download the submission by click on this link For further information, please contact: Sarah Clarkin, IHREC Communications Manager, 01 852 9641 / 087 468 7760 sarah.clarkin@ihrec.ie Follow us on twitter @_IHREC