Vol. 526 No. 6
161 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which he has been in contact with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees with a view to supporting the efforts of the High Commissioner at various trouble spots; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27823/00]
This year Ireland contributed IR £1.6 million to the general programmes of UNHCR which fund the organisation's core statutory activities: the protection and assistance of refugees; and the pursuit of durable solutions such as repatriation, resettlement and local integration. This amount rep resents a 22% increase on Ireland's contribution in 1999. Ireland is also a permanent member of the executive committee of UNHCR which allows us to work with this agency to enhance its effectiveness and to ensure the best interests of developing countries are considered.
The Irish Government assisted UNHCR with the recent evacuation of Kosovars, of ethnic Albanian origin, from the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia. Some 1,031 Kosovars were evacuated to Ireland and accorded temporary protection in May and June 1999.
Funding is also made available to UNHCR through the emergency humanitarian assistance fund. The amount provided fluctuates from year to year in accordance with the number of large scale emergencies which involve a high number of refugees. In 1999 a total of £1.5 million was given for Angolan, Timorese and Kosovar refugees. To date this year £200,000 has been provided to UNHCR for Timorese refugees. Further assistance to UNHCR for 2000 is currently being considered.
