Freedom of Association – NUI, Galway, 1-2 September 2003

A Network Seminar on Freedom of Association was held at the National University of Ireland, Galway, from 1-2 September.

Issues discussed included the role and function of civil society organisations, regulations concerning the set-up and operation of NGOs, trade union rights, and the relationship between civil society and the market economy.

This was the second meeting of the EU-China Human Rights Network to be held in Galway. Some of the foremost human rights experts from Europe and China attended the meeting, with eleven countries and 16 human rights institutions represented in all. The Chinese Delegation was led by Professor Liu Hainian, Director of the Centre for Human Rights Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; while Professor William Schabas, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, led the European delegation.

A public report on the discussions and outcomes of this Seminar is under preparation, and will be available on this website in the near future.