Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 44 together.

Human rights have been a priority of successive Irish governments, and are a key dimension of our foreign policy. Ireland works bilaterally and through the EU and UN to ensure that human rights are respected in Myanmar/Burma.

At the EU Foreign Affairs Council in May 2014, EU Foreign Ministers approved the establishment of a formal EU-Myanmar Human Rights Dialogue. The first such Dialogue took place in Myanmar on 20th May. It was co-chaired by the EU Special Representative for Human Rights and the Myanmar Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and covered major issues of concern with regard to human rights, including discrimination, hate speech and inter-communal violence against the Rohingya in Rakhine, and in other parts of Myanmar. It also focused on political prisoners, land and labour rights, freedom of expression and cooperation with international human rights mechanisms and in multilateral fora.

At the dialogue the EU stressed that continued efforts to achieve ethnic peace and end discrimination and violence in Rakhine State were key for the success of Myanmar's continued transition to democracy. The EU encouraged the Myanmar government to address the underlying causes of inter-communal violence, including the status and welfare of the Rohingya and expressed regret that Rohingya could not self-identify during the recent census. The EU also expressed readiness to cooperate with Myanmar on initiatives which promote inter-communal understanding.

In April 2014, Ireland was involved in organising with several NGOs an event at UN Headquarters in New York that focused on sexual violence in Myanmar. It featured interventions from a Burmese woman human rights activist, Naw K'nyaw Paw, and Ireland's Permanent Representative to the UN, David Donoghue. In March 2014, the UN Human Rights Council, of which Ireland is currently a member, adopted an EU-led resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, which urged the Government of Myanmar to step up its efforts to put an end to remaining human rights violations and abuses. In particular, the Council reiterated its serious concern about the situation of the Rohingya and other minorities in Rakhine State, including repeated instances of violence and other reported abuses, requested that an independent investigation be undertaken into those events and that those responsible be held to account.

Officials from my Department met with Burma Action Ireland, the Chairman of the European Rohingya Council and a member of the Irish Rohingya Community earlier this month to listen to their concerns and to brief on the Irish Government's actions in relation to Myanmar. Ireland's (non-resident) Ambassador to Myanmar met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar during a visit to the country in May 2014. The Ambassador raised Ireland's ongoing concerns about the situation in Rakhine State, including the poor conditions that the some 140,000 displaced Rohingya people are enduring in the IDP camps, and the lack of humanitarian access, given that many international NGOs have been forced to leave Rakhine State.

The Ambassador also visited Rakhine State in September 2013. The purpose of the visit was to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground, particularly for the displaced members of the Muslim Rohingya community and to assess whether there are any areas where Ireland could offer support to help alleviate their plight. The Ambassador visited several IDP camps, called on the Chief Minister of Rakhine state, met with local Buddhist religious leaders, and had discussions with the heads of the main UN agencies working on the ground.

Since 2007, Ireland has provided more than €7.87 million to Myanmar through NGOs and Irish missionaries for both long term development work and emergency and recovery responses. In July 2013, officials from my Department undertook a scoping visit to Myanmar/Burma. The purpose of the mission was to assess developments in the country, and examine how Irish Aid could develop an assistance programme for the country. The visit encompassed a wide range of meetings with political, business, diplomatic and civil society contacts. The range of meetings allowed a broad assessment of developments in the country and to identify key elements of a possible aid programme. On foot of this scoping visit, in December 2013, the Tánaiste announced an additional programme of funding of €500, 000 for a bilateral development assistance programme in 2013. The same level of funding has also been agreed for 2014. Irish Aid also granted funding of €425,825 to Trócaire in 2014 under the Humanitarian Programme Plan for Food Security, Livelihood and Protection assistance programme in Laiza, Kachin State, Myanmar.

The Ambassador to Myanmar also visited Kachin state in Upper Burma in March 2013, as part of a field trip by EU Ambassadors accredited to Myanmar. The purpose of the trip was to visit IDP camps to assess the situation of those displaced by fighting in Kachin state; to get an update on efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement between the Government and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA); and to meet with local government, NGOs (including a number of Irish missionaries) and UN agencies to discuss how the EU can best assist in peace efforts and humanitarian relief.

Ireland and our international partners recognise that complex challenges remain in Myanmar and will continue to urge its government to address human rights abuses. We will continue to press for the Myanmar government to implement its commitment to open a local country office of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights which would have a mandate for monitoring and reporting on human rights issues.