Is the EU/Ireland playing their part in helping

to solve the international refugee crisis?

Responsibilities

• The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who is a refugee, and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum

• The Convention builds on Article 14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the right of persons to seek asylum from persecution in other countries. A refugee may enjoy rights and benefits in a state in addition to those provided for in the Convention

1967 Protocol

• The 1967 Protocol removed the time limits (European refugees before 1st January 1951) and applied to refugees "without any geographic limitation“ i.e. refugees from beyond Europe – worldwide scope.

• Definition of a refugee "A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.."

What is a “refugee”

Stateless?

A temporary status which does not define me as a person

• 65 million displaced persons worldwide

• Syria at 4.9 million, Afghanistan at 2.7 million and Somalia at 1.1 million together accounted for more than half the refugees under UNHCR’s mandate worldwide. Colombia at 6.9 million, Syria at 6.6 million and Iraq at 4.4 million had the largest numbers of internally displaced people.

EU response

Asylum Claims per 100,00 population

Lesvos summer 2015

“The Jungle” Calais

Currently home to 9,000 residents

Demolition notice February 2016

South end of the camp

Dunkirk – Kurdish camp

Lebanon July 2016 - Shatila

Ireland’s “response”

Programme Arrivals to date Cases processed and awaiting transfer to Ireland in the coming weeks

Resettlement 273 248

Relocation 38 32 (a further selection mission to accept a further 50 cases was completed in July 2016)

EU Turkey deal

Refugees are welcome here!!!

We are all refugees!!