Election Monitoring Missions

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2017

Wednesday, 25 October 2017

Questions (164)

Paul Murphy

Question:

164. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the arrangements in place whereby his Department provided funding to an organisation (details supplied) to support the deployment of Irish election observers; if it will be extended to a unit of a university (details supplied) that is planning an election observation mission to Somaliland and that would use funding to deploy additional Irish observers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45172/17]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

International election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a roster of election observers for such missions. Irish observers participate primarily in missions organised by the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). However, they have also participated in missions organised by the Council of Europe, the United Nations and The Carter Centre. The Department has in the past supported The Carter Center under its Civil Society Fund Programme to facilitate its work on democracy in fragile states. In support of this programme, an election observer was deployed under the auspices of The Carter Center to the 2013 Kenyan elections. This particular programme finished in 2015.

In the absence of a call from either the OSCE or the EU, the Department has no plans to provide funding for Irish Election Observers to the Somaliland elections.