Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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69. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he had with members of The Elders on a recent visit to Dublin; the discussions he had with former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, former President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter and others regarding their objectives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23418/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I had the opportunity to have a wide ranging and constructive discussion with members of the Elders group when they visited Dublin last Friday 10 May. The Elders are independent leaders using their collective experience and influence for peace, justice and human rights worldwide. The Elders' visit to Dublin followed the organisation’s twice yearly meeting, held at Mount Juliet on the 8 and 9 May, to review their work programme and plan future activities. I addressed the roundtable held at Iveagh House on Middle East issues, which was hosted by President Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Trócaire and Christian Aid also participated in the discussions. Gro Harlem Brundtland chaired the roundtable at the IIEA on Northern Ireland issues which was attended by Martti Ahtisaari and by Ela Bhatt also. The Elders listened to the particular challenges facing young people in Northern Ireland and encouraged the young people to work together and to take a lead in building a peaceful, inclusive and culturally vibrant society in Northern Ireland.

Later I hosted a lunch with the Elders – Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson, Martti Ahtisaari, Ela Bhatt, and Gro Harlem Brundtland, where we discussed a range of issues that are of mutual concern, in particular the Middle East peace process and the possibility of the EU introducing clear labelling of products made in Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, to protect prospects for a Palestine state living side by side with Israel. Other issues we discussed included the current situation in Syria; Northern Ireland and the challenges of building a reconciled and shared society for all communities; development issues and the recent Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Change Conference that Mary Robinson and I co-hosted; and the Great Lakes Region (as Mary Robinson was recently appointed as UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa). At the lunch the Elders also briefed me on the outcome and lessons learned from both roundtables and the Elders peace-building activities, while I outlined to the Elders Ireland’s foreign policy objectives and the progress we have so far made in our Presidency programme, in particular on the area of development.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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70. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of the discussions he has had with António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees since coming into office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23420/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plays a critical role in ensuring humanitarian access to alleviate the suffering of millions of displaced people. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.4 million for the protection of refugees in Syria, Jordan, Chad, the Sahel, Somalia and elsewhere. This year we have already provided €8.6 million to UNHCR in core funding and emergency funding for refugees from Syria. 4 million for the protection of refugees in Syria, Jordan, Chad, the Sahel, Somalia and elsewhere. This year we have already provided €8.6 million to UNHCR in core funding and emergency funding for refugees from Syria. In this context I was particularly pleased to have the opportunity to meet with High Commissioner Guterres when he visited Ireland in October 2012 in advance of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. We discussed the escalating conflict in Syria and its impact on UNHCR’s work, including in Jordan where Minister of State Joe Costello T.D. had recently visited the Za’atari refugee camp.

Apart from the humanitarian crisis which dominated the headlines at the time I also raised the issue of the many so called “forgotten crises” from Chad, DRC, Mali and Somalia. I briefed Mr Guterres on Ireland’s funding for these crises while assuring him that we would continue to highlight this issue in international fora. I also shared with Mr Guterres my own personal impressions following my visit to Somalia in July 2012, during which I had the opportunity to see for myself the valuable work that UNHCR is doing on the ground. I also briefed Mr. Guterres on our plans for Ireland’s EU Presidency. We discussed our work to forge stronger links between the development and humanitarian agendas of the EU, as well as our role in coordinating EU positions for the international meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, to be held at the UN in September 2013.