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The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald T.D., today congratulated Michael Farrell whose position as the Irish member of the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) is being renewed. Mr. Farrell was first nominated to the position in 2011 by the then Minister for Justice and Equality and his term, which was due to expire on 23rd November, 2016, is being renewed by the Tánaiste for a further 5 year term which will end in 2021.
Congratulating Mr. Farrell, Minister Fitzgerald said “Michael Farrell is highly qualified for the position of Ireland’s member of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance given his wide range of expertise and experience in this area at both national and international levels. He has played an active role in ECRI over the last 5 years and I have no doubt that he will continue to serve Ireland well and make a significant contribution to the work of this important body. Ireland is supportive of the very important work carried out by ECRI in pursuing it's mandate of combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, anti-semitism and intolerance.”
Mr. Farrell was first appointed to ECRI in 2011.
Mr. Farrell acts as a legal consultant and lecturer specialising in human rights law. He worked as a senior solicitor with Free Legal Advice Centres and was a member of the then Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) from 2001 – 2011. He served as Chair of the Racism, Migration and Trafficking committee of the IHRC and Chair of the Racism Sub-committee of the Joint Committee of the IHRC and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
He was Vice-chair and then Co-chair of the Irish Council of Civil Liberties during the 1990s.
Throughout his career, Mr. Farrell has operated at both national and international level with a wide range of organisations and groups.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
1. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance is a Council of Europe body entrusted with the task of combating racism, xenophobia, anti-semitism and intolerance in greater Europe and from the perspective of the protection of human rights.
2. ECRI’s objectives are: to review member states’ legislation, policies and other measures to combat racism, xenophobia, anti-semitism and intolerance and their effectiveness; to propose further action at local, national and European level; to formulate general policy recommendations to member states and to study international legal instruments applicable in the matter with a view to their reinforcement where appropriate.
3. Further details on ECRI are available on the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration website at http://www.integration.ie/website/omi/omiwebv6.nsf/page/Racism-ECRI-en and the Council of Europe website at http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/ecri/default_en.asp