Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
655. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason for the suspending of Irish contributing election observers to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32389/20]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs maintains a roster of Irish volunteers available for nomination to election observation missions organised by the OSCE and the EU. Due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the OSCE and the EU suspended election observation missions until last month.
In respect of forthcoming elections this month and next, in Ukraine, Georgia and Republic of Moldova, the OSCE has advised that it will organise limited election observation missions which do not require volunteer observers.
As outlined in response to Parliamentary Questions No. 396 of 6 October and No. 158 of 15 October, the Department of Foreign Affairs has taken the decision not to nominate volunteers for election observation missions at this time due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic and in the context of the current travel advice for Irish citizens and residents. This advice is to avoid non-essential overseas travel due to the potential for exposure to COVID-19 and the risk this poses both for the individual and for the wider community.
The nature of election observation missions is such that the chance of exposure is higher still, given that such missions entail not only travel to the destination country but extensive travel within the destination country, and the probability of close contact with residents as well as other election observers coming from other countries with varying COVID-19 incidence rates. As well as potential exposure of Irish election observers to infection, and the implications for their families and communities on return, we must also be mindful of the risk of election observers themselves exposing others to COVID-19.
As we are well aware here in Ireland, having moved to Level 5 measures, the pandemic has not abated and our main priority must remain the health of volunteers and their wider circles of contact, both at home and abroad. We look forward to a return to nominating volunteers for election observation missions when conditions allow. In this respect, Department of Foreign Affairs officials are monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis and, given the dynamic nature of the pandemic, will continue to evaluate as they arise any calls for election observers from the OSCE and EU. This includes taking into account overall public health and official travel advice; the COVID-19 situation both in destination countries and here in Ireland; communications with EU and OSCE focal points for election observation missions; and safeguards put in place both by mission organisers as well as host countries.
