Irish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

Between May and November 2022, Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers for the seventh time in the Council of Europe’s history.

While a lot had changed since we last did so in 2000, both domestically and internationally, Ireland’s commitment to human rights remains as firm as ever. It continues to form a central pillar of our foreign policy and constitutes a broader framework for our approach to global engagement.

We are proud to raise our voice to champion human rights issues of concern, defend the multilateral system and to work to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations.

As a founding member of the Council of Europe, we sought to use our Presidency to reaffirm what President Higgins had called ‘the conscience of Europe’, advancing the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law across the continent.

Over the course of these six months, Ireland chaired more than a dozen meetings of the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, strengthening standards across a range of key areas, from media freedoms to the protection of human rights in conflict zones.

We also hosted more than thirty Council of Europe conferences, seminars and events across Strasbourg, Dublin, Galway, Kerry and Cork.”