Government slammed for ‘unethical’ trade mission to Gulf

The Government’s trade mission to the Gulf states has been condemned for “drumming up trade in human rights blackspots”.

One of the country’s leading academics in the area of human rights, Dr Shane Darcy insisted there was nothing in terms of human rights conditions being attached to trade agreements, or requiring that Irish businesses conduct themselves in accordance with human rights standards while operating in the Gulf.

Dr Darcy, who is a lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights attached to NUI Galway and director of the PhD programme at the centre, pointed out that countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were among the world’s worst human rights abusers.

“In Saudi Arabia…there are pervasive restrictions on universal rights such as freedom of expression, including on the internet, and freedom of assembly, association, movement, and religion; and a lack of equal rights for women and children, as well as for workers.

“When it comes to Qatar, the abuse of workers’ rights in the construction industry is widely known, yet in the context of World Cup 2022, the country is seen as a ‘lucrative market’ for Irish firms to tap into.

“The United Arab Emirates has been on the radar of human rights organisations for many years, for violations including restrictions on freedom of expression and mistreatment of migrant workers,” Dr Darcy said.

Writing in the blog ‘Business and Human Rights in Ireland’ — dedicated to tracking and analysing developments relating to business activity and human rights in Ireland — Dr Darcy pointed out that in the official statement issued by the Government press office concerning the trade mission, there was no mention of human rights.

“This is not an oversight, as human rights are clearly not on the official agenda. It seems that the mission is being run by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation — Minister Richard Bruton is accompanying the Taoiseach — not by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where there actually is a considerable degree of human rights expertise.”