Ireland’s 5th Periodic Report under Framework Convention for Protection of National Minorities submitted to Council of Europe

The Cabinet has this week approved the text of the Fifth Periodic Report under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM). This report has now been submitted to the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee under the FCNM.

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, who brought the State Report to Government, said:

The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) is a legally binding multilateral treaty of the Council of Europe devoted to the protection of national minorities, which Ireland signed on 1 February 1995 and ratified on 7 May 1999. Under the FCNM, Ireland submits periodic reports describing the measures implemented over the previous five years, with reference to the Council of Europe’s recommendations, and covering matters pertaining to the Traveller and Roma communities.

Ireland’s Fifth Report has been prepared by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), in consultation with all other relevant departments. Traveller and Roma organisation representatives were also invited to submit their views and the full content of their contributions is included as an Appendix to the State Report. In light of that consultation process, a number of revisions were made to the draft report to reflect the views expressed.

Ireland Fifth State Report focuses on Travellers and reports primarily on measures taken to address the core issues raised in the fourth monitoring cycle and on further steps to improve the position of Travellers in Ireland. The State Report also deals with certain issues in relation to the Roma community in Ireland, as, similar to Irish Travellers, Roma have specific needs and can be at high risk of marginalisation and discrimination, and Travellers and Roma are linked in Ireland’s National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy.

Ireland’s Fifth Report has been prepared by DCEDIY, in consultation with the Departments of Education; Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science; Foreign Affairs; Health; Social Protection; Housing, Local Government and Heritage; Justice; Rural and Community Development; and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

In addition, Traveller and Roma representative organisations and interested parties were invited to submit their observations in writing, in response to the draft report. The comments and feedback received were taken into account when compiling the final draft, and the full content of the submissions are included as an Appendix to the State Report.

The fifth monitoring cycle will include a visit of a delegation of the Advisory Committee to Ireland in Quarter 3, to meet with government officials, representative of minorities, NGO’s, National Human Rights Institutions.