Edmund Rice International

More than 61 per cent of the world’s population live in countries where religious freedom is not respected, according to a recently released worldwide report. The biennial Religious Freedom in the World report  was published by the international Catholic pastoral charity and pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need International. It was the 14th […]

“A right is not a special privilege of the fortunate but it is ingrained in the soul of every institution and in the dignity and worth of every person”. This is an insight I gained through the two weeks long training program conducted in Geneva by the Edmund Rice International. It was a great opportunity […]

An estimated 6.3 million children under 15 years of age died in 2017, or 1 every 5 seconds, mostly of preventable causes, according to new mortality estimates released by WHO, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Division and the World Bank Group. Globally, in 2017, half of all deaths under 5 years of age took place in sub-Saharan Africa, and […]

Rapid globalisation over recent decades has brought increased economic prosperity, but has led to greater marginalisation of many. Driven by profit maximisation in increasingly competitive markets, and without adequate regulatory mechanisms, concerns about human rights violations and environmental impacts are often ignored. Child labour, displacement of indigenous communities from their traditional lands by mining operations, […]

The Global Compact on Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration was finalised by UN Member States in New York in July with all UN member states except the USA approving the draft. The agreement is a “non-legally binding, cooperative framework” to encourage “international cooperation among all relevant actors on migration, acknowledging that no state can address […]

A number of organizations including Caritas Internationalis and the Global Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children organised a recent side event at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on  migrants and refugees entitled ‘Share the Journey: Promoting the Dignity of Migrants and Refugees’. The event featured a panel led discussion, including the testimonies of […]

The withdrawal of the United States from the Human Rights Council is deeply regrettable as it undermines progress towards the advancement of global human rights. Sadly the decision is consistent with the Trump administration’s previously demonstrated unwillingness to work with the international community and to prioritise its perceived national self-interest over international agreements. The decision […]

The first formal consultation in relation to the zero draft of the Global Compact on Refugees took place in New York in February. The draft has its origins in the 2016 New York Declaration when all UN member states agreed to work towards the adoption of a global agreement to improve international practice with regard […]

ERI was represented at a recent forum in Rome which looked at how Catholic-inspired organizations, can better protect and promote the human person in a rapidly changing world. Over 100 organisations were represented, ranging from groups focused on peace, immigration, education, development and pro-life issues. They were joined by academics, Vatican officials and observers or […]

One of the functions of the committee of experts that constitute a UN Treaty Body is to publish their interpretation of the content of the human rights provisions contained in the treaty they monitor. These interpretations are known as general comments and also may include guidance on the information that should be submitted in State […]