Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Saharawi refugees arrived in Algeria in 1975 and 1976 following the escalation of the conflict over Western Sahara. The majority of these are sheltered in camps in the south-western desert province of Tindouf, where the Algerian authorities estimate the current number of refugees at some 165,000. A significant part of the Saharawi population also continues to live in Western Sahara, and many families remain separated.

Basic social services in the camps are provided by the Saharawi "government-in-exile", together with the support of the international aid community. Some of the major organisations on the ground include the World Food Programme, WFP, which provides food assistance, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, which gives assistance in areas including the provision of water, sanitation, health, nutrition and education.

In response to the continuing needs in this protracted humanitarian crisis, I recently authorised €250,000 in funding from Irish Aid for UNHCR's operations in the camps. These funds will be used to support the provision of basic services and to help refugees to maintain contact with their families. In addition to this direct assistance, UN agencies operating throughout the region can also benefit from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF, to which Ireland has contributed €81 million since 2006.

Ultimately, of course, the only resolution to the plight of the Saharawi refugees will come with a political settlement between Morocco and Western Sahara. Ireland has a long-standing policy of support for the right to self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara. We remain strongly supportive of the UN's role and the efforts of UN Secretary General's Special Envoy, Christopher Ross, in trying to promote a political dialogue and settlement and earnestly encourage both Morocco and the Polisario, which I met recently, to engage constructively during talks scheduled to take place next week in New York.

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