The Minister of Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, will this morning in Rome sign both the revised European Social Charter and an anti-discrimination protocol.
At a special commemorative ceremony in the Campidoglio (Rome Town Hall) held to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights in Rome in 1950, the Republic will be one of 23 Council of Europe member-states signing Protocol 12, otherwise known as the General Prohibition on Discrimination.
Attending a special Ministerial Council, held in Rome yesterday to coincide with today's commemoration, Mr O'Donoghue suggested that the European Convention on Human Rights had proved itself "an important element in the Good Friday peace agreement". "Ireland is proud to have been among the original drafters and co-signatories of the convention. One of the first states to ratify it, Ireland was also the first party to recognise the unconditional and permanent right of individual parties. The convention has had a substantive influence on the development of our national understanding of human rights and on legislation in Ireland.
"Recent events in Ireland demonstrate its relevance in finding peaceful solutions to longstanding conflicts and in achieving reconciliation between divided communities and peoples. "The convention is an important element in the Good Friday peace agreement," he added. "It was incorporated in respect to Northern Ireland last month and I am pleased to confirm that the Irish parliament will shortly enact the relevant legislation incorporating the convention into Irish domestic law." Mr O'Donoghue said the European Convention and the Court of Human Rights faced "serious challenges" in the future.
"In the immediate future, we must tackle the issue of resources. The convention must continue to operate effectively. A major challenge - and opportunity for the Council of Europe is to ensure its successful application in the newer member and applicant States.
"Many of these States are confronted with serious human rights issues at a time of difficult social and economic transition." While in Rome yesterday, Mr O'Donoghue also had an audience with Pope John Paul 11.