In the framework of their Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, the Government of Ireland has made a voluntary contribution of €665 616 towards Council of Europe Action Plans and projects that support the priorities of the Irish Chairmanship. Ireland’s contribution will support the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2022 and its successor Action Plan, the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022 and its successor Action Plan, the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2020-2023 and the cooperation activities in Kosovo*.
It also contributed to the webcasting of public hearings of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court’s Knowledge-sharing and Superior Courts Dialogue, as well as to reduce the backlog of well-founded cases and the backlog of outstanding unexecuted leading judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. In addition, Ireland’s contribution will support the prevention of violence against women, the promotion of human rights and equality for LGBTI persons, the protection of children from human rights violations, the Bioethics Youth Forum and the Human Rights Moot Court Competition.
Ireland has also announced they will join the Human Rights Trust Fund** with an initial contribution of €200 000. Mr Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence of Ireland, and Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General, met on this occasion.
*All reference to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
**The HRTF currently brings together seven contributors: Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.