Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The problems forcing people to seek asylum within the EU and elsewhere are many and all too common. They must be addressed by the international community with all the instruments and resources at its disposal. All human rights violations must be condemned wherever they occur and those responsible for persecution cannot be allowed to operate with impunity.

Persecution and conflict flourish in situations of extreme poverty and where climate change has had a disastrous impact on living conditions. These closely-related factors present a complex challenge requiring a range of policy responses. Given that the great majority of the world's asylum seekers come from developing countries, it is vital the EU and other countries consider ways to support third countries in finding solutions to their problems.

Ireland, bilaterally and in co-operation with its EU and UN partners, consistently follows a multi-faceted approach to the causes which have forced people to flee. This begins with our advocacy of the protection of human rights and continues through efforts to ensure conflict resolution, and the encouragement of policies aimed at poverty reduction, sustainable development and economic growth. The Irish Aid programme in particular is firmly focused on these objectives.

At EU level, the European Commission last June published a Green Paper on the future of the common European asylum system. The paper, which Ireland welcomes, recognises many of the key challenges faced by member states in the operation of their asylum policies and procedures, as well as the need for increased co-operation on approaches at EU level to prevent so-called asylum shopping. It also ensures that those individuals genuinely in need of protection receive it as soon as possible.

The majority of people have no wish to uproot themselves from their communities, frequently leaving their families behind, to undertake often dangerous journeys to unknown and uncertain destinations. If people are provided with a minimum level of economic opportunity and the security provided by a functioning accountable Government and basic public services, they will choose to stay in their own countries, towns and villages.

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