Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 7 Mar 2002

Vol. 550 No. 2

Written Answers. - UN Conventions.

Michael D. Higgins

Ceist:

468 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will report on the outcome of the first meeting of the 141 States that signed the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7485/02]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue):

To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees hosted a meeting of State parties to the convention and its related 1967 Protocol in Geneva on 12 and 13 December 2001.

The Government was represented at the meeting by the Minister of State at my Department, Deputy Mary Wallace. Other States were represented at the level of Minister, Minister of State or ambassador-permanent representative.

This meeting was also part of the global consultations process on international protection which was launched by the UNHCR in late 2000 to consider the position of the 1951 Geneva Convention and international refugee protection generally at the beginning of the 21st century.

The global consultations have been organised along three parallel tracks. First, the continued recognition of the importance of the Geneva Convention in the context of international refugee protection. The December meeting was part of the first track process which sought to strengthen the commitment of State parties to the centrality of the convention in international refugee law.

The second track comprises a series of meetings and expert round tables on various aspects of international protection involving participation by academics and other experts in this field.

The third track of consultations is looking at protection policy matters aimed, inter alia, at the development of new approaches and standards for the strengthening of refugee protection. This has included discussions on issues such as the protection of refugees in mass influx situations, protection of refugees in the context of asylum systems having due regard to the asylum-immigration nexus, complimentary forms of protection and the strengthening of protection capacities in host countries.

The December meeting of State parties took the form of statements by heads of delegations. Three round table discussions also took place which looked at the strengthening of the 1951 convention and related 1967 protocol, mass influx situations and upholding refugee protection in the face of contemporary challenges.

In the Minister of State's statement to the meeting she reiterated Ireland's commitment to the principles and obligations set out in the convention. This has been demonstrated by the Government in a number of ways including the commencement in full of the Refugee Act, 1996; the establishment of two independent agencies to process asylum applications, namely, the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal; the allocation of significant additional resources including substantial extra staff to process asylum applications which has made significant inroads into the processing of applications on hand and new applications and also the speed at which such applications can be processed.

We have now reached a situation where the ORAC is focusing primarily on 2001 applications; the allocation of significant additional resources for accommodation, healthcare, education and other reception support services for asylum seekers; and increased expenditure on legal aid services for asylum seekers, on interpretation services and on staff training which is carried out with the assistance of the UNHCR.

The meeting also adopted a declaration reaffirming the commitment of State parties to the Geneva Convention. The declaration,inter alia, underlines the commitment of State parties to the importance of the 1951 Geneva Convention in the field of international protection including to its core principle of non-refoulement; takes note of the complex international environment in which the convention operates at present, including the high cost of hosting refugee populations and of maintaining asylum systems; notes the problems caused by trafficking and misuse of asylum systems; encourages States which have not done so to accede to the convention; reaffirms the central role of the UNHCR as the guardian of the convention; recognises the valuable role played by NGOs in the protection of refugees and asylum seekers; seeks better refugee protection through comprehensive strategies to assist developing countries and countries with large refugee populations. Durable solutions to the issue of refugee protection are also recommended such as voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement.

I have arranged to have copies of the declaration placed in the Oireachtas Library.