Aid agency calls for world court to police rights

A world court should be established to police violations of people's economic and social rights in the new millennium, according to Trocaire.

Although an international criminal court had finally been established to deal with breaches of political rights, there was still no mechanism to hold accountable those responsible for poverty, one of the starkest violations of human rights, said the director of Trocaire, Mr Justin Kilcullen.

He was speaking at the presentation of Trocaire's annual development review, which includes a variety of contributions from two conferences held earlier this year to mark the agency's 25th anniversary.

The chairman of the Oireachtas sub-committee on human rights, Mr Gay Mitchell, addressed the event, saying there could be no peace in Ireland without peace with justice.

"Where is the justice of fair and equitable access to third-level education? Where is the justice in our housing policies?

"Dublin Corporation will build 230 houses this year, yet were able to build 1,700-plus per year in poorer times. Is it any wonder there is a housing crisis and growing homelessness?"

Mr Mitchell called on the main Opposition parties to agree a platform of issues they would deal with in government.

He challenged Trocaire and other non-governmental organisations to "face up" to the State's role in European security. It had opted out, but it should be taking a view on what it wanted.

"Taking the view that NATO is a four-lettered dirty word and any association with it, however meek, is not even worthy of discussion, is not a security policy."

When humanitarian aid had to be delivered, there would be times when peace-making as opposed to peacekeeping would be required. "Our policy cannot be that we will fight to the last Dutchman, Belgian or US soldier. To call a spade a spade, it was NATO which took on the tyrants in Bosnia and, more recently, in Kosovo.

"Those who talk about human rights in very high moral tones must also ensure that we take our share of responsibility for ensuring that human rights are enforced, where this is necessary."

Mr Mitchell said the only way the Republic would reach the UN target for overseas aid was to pass a law requiring specific percentages of GNP to go to development aid from the Central Fund.

This approach had already been adopted for servicing the national debt.