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Minister for Foreign Affairs Charles Flanagan TD, will today (Thursday) meet with Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks. This is Commissioner Muižnieks’ first official visit to Ireland.

Commenting on the visit Minister Flanagan said:

“I welcome the visit of the Commissioner Muižnieks to Ireland. Ireland is deeply committed to the Council of Europe and its values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. While the focus of Commissioner Muižnieks visit is domestic, I am pleased to have an opportunity to have a discussion with him about human rights in an international context.

“Commissioner Muižnieks plays an indispensable role in upholding human rights across Europe. Ireland shares the Commissioner’s commitment to creating and maintaining space for civil society, ensuring the protection of human rights defenders, and the prevention of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Note for Editors:
This meeting is part of a five day visit to Ireland by Commissioner Muižnieks which includes meetings with President Higgins, a number of Government Ministers as well as several civic society groups.
The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent office-holder with a wide-ranging mandate to promote the awareness of, and respect for, human rights in the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe.
The Commissioner is also tasked with identifying possible shortcomings in the legal systems of Member States and providing advice and recommendations on how these can be addressed. To this end, the Commissioner carries out routine monitoring visits of the Member States of the Council of Europe. These visits aim at pursuing a direct dialogue with the authorities.
The last official monitoring visit by a Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights was by Commissioner Muižnieks’ predecessor Thomas Hammarberg in 2011.