Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I share Deputy O'Sullivan's concerns about where the debate is at. Yesterday I met with a number of NGO chief executives, including Peter Maurer from the International Committee of the Red Cross, and everyone is having the debate on what is the best way forward. Critical to that debate are the people on the ground, especially the NGOs, but they also feed in to a multi-lateral platform which includes the engagement of the EU and the compact countries. I will illustrate one statistic specific to Eritrea. Some 5,000 people per month leave Eritrea with the majority going to Sudan and Somalia under refugee status. It is a massive challenge. For example, 25% of all migrants into Italy are from Eritrea. The way to go to the core of that challenge is economic stability and looking at the root causes and reasons behind the displacement. The overarching focus when ensuring finance is being delivered is that human rights must be to the forefront.

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