Commission Presents Operational Design Framework to United Nations Human Rights Office Officials
Protecting the Human Rights of victims, survivors and families was central in discussions between Chief Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, Sir Declan Morgan and the United Nations today.
Sir Declan presented to officials at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as part of a continuing dialogue to receive input from experts in the field. He outlined the Commission’s Operational Design Framework published last week, which sets out how the Commission carries out its work and explained the steps the Commission has taken to ensure it adheres to Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
The Framework reinforces the importance of supporting all those who request the Commission look into their cases and included the creation of a Charter of Commitments which outlines what they can expect from their journey with the Commission, a commitment to allow them to be accompanied by a chosen representative, and increased flexibility around changing the nature of requests for information.
The Commission’s trauma and resiliency informed model was highlighted, meaning that the choice and control was with victims, survivors and families about whether and when to make a request for an investigation. The role of the Case Support Team is to give victims, survivors the tools and information to decide for themselves.
Sir Declan Morgan said:
“Adhering to the European Convention of Human Rights is central to everything we are trying to achieve at the Commission and is absolutely paramount if we are to gain the trust of all those affected by the Troubles/ Conflict in Northern Ireland .
“Our ongoing dialogue with the UN and the Council of Europe, in addition to victims , survivors and families, and groups representing them is crucial in helping the Commission deliver on its mission to recover meaningful information and promote reconciliation.
“Through presenting our proposals for scrutiny, obtaining feedback and listening to it, we can improve our approach to delivering answers for all those who request that we conduct an investigation.”
The dialogue with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights follows earlier engagement with the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights to the UN, Ilze Brands Kehris and the Council of Europe, and underlines the Commission’s commitment to meeting and embedding human rights standards.
Over the last year ICRIR has published a variety of policy papers and proposals including how it will carry out Enhanced Inquisitorial Proceedings for inquests that could not conclude under the old system or where there is significant national security information which means that the coroners could not proceed.
The Commission took on the remit to investigate deaths and serious harm related to the Troubles/Conflict from 1 May. It is currently engaged with those who have approached the Commission to see if it can carry out an investigation in explaining the process and next steps. Further information about performance and early operations will be set out in the Commission’s Annual Report in September.