IDEA has joined members Afri and Talamh Beo in calling on the Irish Government to support the renewal of the mandate of the UN Working Group of Experts on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas.

The joint letter to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee comes ahead of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, where the mandate will be considered for renewal.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) provides an important framework for protecting the rights of rural communities and supporting more just, inclusive and sustainable food systems. The letter highlights the growing importance of these protections in the face of interconnected global challenges, including the severe violations affecting Palestinian farmers and rural communities in the occupied West Bank.

For IDEA, this also connects with Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and its role in enabling people to understand and engage with complex global challenges and their implications locally and globally. Ireland has been recognised by the Global Education Network Europe (GENE) as a European leader in this field. Supporting UNDROP offers an opportunity to carry this commitment into Ireland’s wider international engagement and strengthen the connection between human rights, informed public understanding and active global citizenship.

With Ireland holding the EU Presidency, IDEA, Afri and Talamh Beo are calling on the Government to support the renewal of the mandate and continue its engagement with UNDROP at national, regional and international levels.