The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has told the United Nations that Ireland must urgently close the gap between its human rights commitments and the lived experience of people across the country.
Addressing the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) pre-session in Geneva yesterday, Chief Commissioner Liam Herrick highlighted concerns across housing and socio-economic rights, violence against women and institutional abuse, disability rights, and asylum and migration. He also raised concerns about climate and environmental justice.
The UPR process involves member states of the UN Human Rights Council reviewing and making recommendations on Ireland's human rights record. IHREC has participated in every review of Ireland under the UPR mechanism, including mid-term reporting.
Chief Commissioner Herrick said:
“We are often described as ‘policy rich and implementation poor.’ We have strong legislation and good policy on paper. But too often, the gap is in implementation and enforcement. Ireland is a wealthy country. That means we have the resources to do better. That wealth should translate into strong human rights outcomes. And when it doesn’t, we need to ask why.”
Eleven states made recommendations to Ireland on housing during the previous UPR cycle. Since 2021, homelessness has more than doubled, with official homelessness standing at 17,447 in May 2026. These figures do not include rough sleepers, people in domestic violence refuges, people in international protection accommodation or the wider population experiencing hidden homelessness.
Travellers, Roma, migrants, asylum-seekers, victims of trafficking and disabled people are disproportionately affected by housing insecurity and unsuitable accommodation.
IHREC is calling for affordable and secure housing at the necessary scale by 2030, ratification of Article 31 of the Revised European Social Charter, and a referendum to recognise a right to housing in the Irish Constitution.
IHREC highlighted the continuing scale of violence against women. More than one in three women in Ireland have experienced domestic, sexual or gender-based violence, while police responses to domestic abuse callouts increased by 45% between 2020 and 2024. Domestic violence is also the leading cause of homelessness for women.
IHREC is calling for increased funding for domestic violence services and refuges, stronger capacity to investigate and prosecute violence against women, and a national strategy for safe and inclusive political participation.
The Commission raised the continuing lack of adequate redress for survivors of State-sanctioned institutional abuse. Despite measures including the Birth Information and Tracing Act and the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, survivors continue to face barriers to accessing records and redress. Less than 10% of funds under the payment scheme have been spent.
IHREC is again calling for arbitrary barriers to redress to be removed and for the State to fully implement the European Court of Human Rights judgment in O’Keeffe v Ireland.
IHREC also raised concerns about the de facto institutionalisation of disabled people arising from inadequate community-based supports, housing and services.
Around 1,200 disabled people under the age of 65 are resident in nursing homes for older people, while available HIQA inspection data identified 4,825 rights violations in one year in residential services for disabled people.
Ireland signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) in 2007 but has still not ratified it or formally established a National Preventive Mechanism. IHREC is calling for the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill to be extended to residential disability services and other settings where disabled people are de facto detained, including private settings.
In addition, IHREC highlighted concerns around accommodation, detention and safeguards for people seeking international protection.
Applications for international protection increased from 2,648 in 2021 to 13,160 in 2025, contributing to significant processing delays and backlogs. Many newly arrived applicants in 2025 did not receive an immediate offer of shelter and were forced to sleep rough.
IHREC is calling for safe and adequate accommodation, ratification of OPCAT, independent human rights monitoring of immigration detention and forced removals, and evidence-based migration and asylum policy.
Chief Commissioner Herrick said:
“It is important not to be complacent, even in countries seen as strong human rights performers. Because increasingly, we are seeing how many of these hard-won rights can be rescinded and denied.”
IHREC will continue to engage with UN Member States and civil society organisations during Ireland’s UPR process. Ireland will receive recommendations from other UN Member States on 10 November 2026, and will advocate for strong implementation of accepted recommendations.