This special publication to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is but one example of the sustained interest of The Irish Times in human rights issues over the years. The newspaper is to be commended for this commitment.
A key element of international efforts to mark the anniversary has been the focus on education and on the need to raise awareness and understanding of the Declaration. Indeed, a UN resolution on the anniversary emphasised the importance of initiatives, such as this one, "in promoting, through education and media, a culture of human rights and fundamental freedoms."
So this supplement is a fitting contribution to our efforts here in Ireland both to observe this event and to increase our understanding of human rights issues, domestically and abroad.
People may well ask why there should be such a strong focus on this particular anniversary. They may well ask why the UN and its member States, together with a host of NGOs, are laying such emphasis on an event which took place so long ago in a very different era. The reason is simple: this document, this great, radical statement of human dignity and freedom, is the "cornerstone" of international efforts to promote and protect human rights throughout the world.
As I noted recently in my speech to the UN General Assembly, it is as relevant today, and as challenging to states and governments today, as it was a half-century ago. The Universal Declaration remains the "common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations" - it is the benchmark against which our work in this area is judged.
Unfortunately, looking at many parts of the world today, it is clear that the reality falls far short of the ideals set out in the Declaration.
International human rights standards are not fully and universally respected, human rights continue to be violated and people still suffer from oppression and the denial of their basic civil, political and economic rights.
This anniversary is not, therefore, an occasion for celebration or congratulation, as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has pointed out. It is a time for an honest reflection on the shortcomings of the human rights system we have constructed over the past half-century. And it is also a time to reaffirm our collective commitment to "promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance".
We are deeply committed to the ideals of the Declaration and this commitment is reflected in our foreign policy in a number of ways. We have consistently sought to use our voice and our experience in international organisations to raise our concern about human rights violations, particularly at the United Nations General Assembly and at the UN Commission on Human Rights, of which we are currently a member.
A commitment to human rights is an integral part of our development co-operation relationship with our partner countries and we work with them in increasing awareness of and respect for human rights, good governance and the rule of law.
We are also, of course, heavily involved in the formulation of EU human rights policy. The ability of the 15 member states to speak with one voice on many issues adds considerable strength to our arguments.
To take one example, earlier this year, the EU decided to strengthen its efforts in opposition to the use of the death penalty and Ireland was actively involved in the formulation of this new approach to the issue.
We are also looking at the potential of working with Canada, Norway and certain other like-minded countries on what are termed "human security" issues, following a proposal from the Canadian foreign minister earlier this year.
In the different ways I have outlined, we seek to shoulder our responsibility as best we can, despite the relatively small size of our State. In so doing, we are well aware that human rights are not just an "overseas" issue, one external to this country, but one that is central to Irish society. How could it be otherwise when we have learned, often through bitter experience, the truth of Mrs Robinson's statement that "today's human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow's conflicts"?
In the Belfast Agreement, the Irish Government gave an undertaking "to further strengthen the protection of human rights in its jurisdiction" and we will abide by that commitment. Already, steps are being taken to establish Human Rights Commissions in both parts of the island.
We must also understand our own obligations in the present day to continue and carry forward that work. Nor is it right that we mark the efforts of those who were active in the field of human rights in the past without also doing our utmost to assist the work of the current generation of human rights workers.
For this reason, the adoption by the Commission on Human Rights of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders earlier this year was most appropriate and welcome and I very much look forward to its formal adoption by this year's UN General Assembly on December 10th next, the actual anniversary date itself.
I also wish to pay my own personal tribute to the commitment and dedication of human rights defenders, those persons throughout the world who, acting individually and as members of NGOs, devote themselves to human rights, often at great personal cost and danger.
The work of our own NGOs deserve our recognition for the role they have played in combatting human rights abuses and in raising our awareness in Ireland of such abuses.