Over the next five years, Ireland will contribute €3 million to the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Stability and Addressing Root Causes of Irregular Migration and Displaced Persons in Africa. Respect for Human Rights is central to the objectives of the Fund, recognising that human rights abuses are themselves a root cause of irregular migration.
The Final Declaration agreed by all participants and the EU–Africa Summit in Valletta in November 2015, at which the Trust Fund was launched, is explicit on the centrality importance of human rights issues. It notes that “respect for the dignity of refugees and migrants and protection of their human rights, regardless of their status, will remain our priority at all times”.
As a founding member of the Trust Fund, Ireland holds a position of Vice-Chair on the Fund’s Board and is a member of its Operational Committee. We will use these positions to ensure that the principles underpinning the Trust Fund are respected. We have already participated in the first meeting of the Trust Fund Board, which took place during the Valletta Summit, and in the first meeting of the Operational Committee for the Horn of Africa Window, which took place on 16 December.
Ireland has made it clear at all times in discussions leading to the establishment of the Trust Fund and subsequently, that it is essential that all programming under the Trust fund which comes from development budgets must be for activities which are clearly eligible to count as Official Development Assistance, in accordance with the agreed rules.
