An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 19 Vox Pops lt John mc candless (rdF), c coy, 28 InF Bn "This course was one I always wanted to partake in and under the 'single-force' concept the opportunity arose this year. The programme offered an introduction to the UN system for the promotion and protection of human rights, while also examining the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The course was enjoyable, thought-provoking, and the manner in which it was conducted was very professional. I would highly recommend this to any RDF personnel. "I work as an enforcement officer for a local authority and the course brought home to me the fact that human rights isn't something confined to 'overseas' but applies just as much at home. I realise that a lot of my day job involves human rights, such as ensuring due process and allowing people the right to reply and to appeal decisions." capt JacK Fahy (rdF), otw, mIl col, dFtc "The course was very well structured, and the programme was very comprehensive, with a very good mix of lecture and activity- based learning. The instructors, both international and domestic, were of the highest standard and they made use of not only their experience but also the students' experiences, which led to many lively discussions. "The broad range of subject matter, ranging from women's rights, to the law of armed conflict, to delivering human rights training, gave us a good insight into all aspects of human rights. "As an assistant chief officer in the Irish Prison Service this course opened up a whole new point of view for me. On a daily basis I deal with prisoners on 23-hour lock-up and sensitive-pro- tection prisoners and need to be aware of their rights, ranging from how much exercise they get to their access to education and services. "The course broadened my knowledge on issues such as how to deal with foreign nationals and people of different religious faiths. I now have an understanding of why someone of a different cultural or ethnic background might act in a certain way or how they may react in a certain situation. This helps me to meet the needs of these prisoners and can help me prevent a situation from occurring or escalating. "The course demonstrated the importance of human rights training for members of the Defence Forces. It also showed me that the protection of human rights is ev- erybody's responsibility. I am now more sensitive as to how to meet the needs of, or perhaps more importantly not inadvertently infringe on the rights of, a vulnerable person or group." lt FerGal FItzGerald (rdF), e coy, 27 InF Bn "The week saw a mix of Irish students from different back- grounds and disciplines join with six international students from the USA, Canada, Greece and Russia, for an intensive and wide-ranging course on international human rights. The course commenced with a series of lectures on the origins of both human rights law and international humanitarian law. These were fol- lowed by trainers from the Irish Human Rights Commission, who work to promote and protect human rights in Ireland. Next, we received a series of lectures on other 'actors' in the human rights arena, including the makeup of the UN in general and the OHCHR in specific and NGOs such as the Interna- tional Committee for the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Visiting lecturers from Childline also briefed us on their work in Ireland. "For the second half of the course we formed syndicates tasked with apply- ing what we had learned in an analytical and critical way to several current UN missions. This involved gathering background information on each mission, such as origins, key events, limit and extent of the mandate, and current human rights situation. "I found the course excellent and extremely interesting. In civilian life I'm respon- sible for corporate social responsibility in Ulster Bank, which involves working with NGOs and charities that use our branch network. This has helped me understand the difficulties faced by aid agencies operating in unstable environments and often at great risk to their staff." Capt Jack Fahy receiving his certification from Lt Col Michael Murray (Sch Comdt UNTSI)

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