Ireland has been elected to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for a three-year term starting next January. The US, Australia and Germany were also elected from Western European and Others Group (WEOG) of member-states.
The CHR is the main UN forum for discussing human rights issues. The 53-member commission meets annually in Geneva for six weeks. The session, held in March and April, discusses and passes resolutions on a wide range of human rights concerns. In advance of Monday's election, the WEOG countries agreed on the nominees to fill the four vacant seats available to the group on the CHR in the period 2003-2005.
The loss of the US seat last year aroused considerable controversy. The US had been a member of the CHR since 1947. Welcoming Ireland's election to the commission, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said the body was "an essential forum for the promotion and protection of human rights around the world".
When Ireland assumed the EU presidency in the first half of 2004, it would be acting on behalf of the EU at the commission. Mr Cowen also welcomed the return of the US to the CHR.
"Ireland intends to play a constructive role on the commission and to make a real contribution to vindicating human rights worldwide," Mr Cowen said.