Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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53. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if it is possible through the aegis of the EU or the UN to motivate the global community into treating refugee, whether political or economic, in a manner which is respectful of their status and dignity and in keeping with international human rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28029/18]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The UN Refugee Agency reported on 19 June that the number of refugees and displaced persons worldwide reached in excess of 65 million in 2017, increasing at a rate of one person every two seconds. Most of these people are hosted in developing countries, such as Uganda or Ethiopia. Many also try to come to Europe. The European Union has been striving to put in place a better managed migration system. While joint EU efforts have continued to show results, the situation remains fragile.

Ireland plays an important role in efforts to bring the international community together behind a more humane and coordinated response to migration.

In 2016 we co-facilitated the unanimous adoption of the New York Declaration by the Member States of the United Nations. This committed the world community to putting in place two Global Compacts by the end of this year – one on refugees and one on migration. Ireland is actively engaged in the negotiations for both these Compacts, advocating strongly - including within the EU - for an approach which places the dignity and human rights of all people on the move at the centre of our response. Any approach or solution needs to be comprehensive, addressing all aspects of the issue, from the causes of mass exodus to the responses necessary to cover the range of refugee situations.

Ireland also provides significant support through our aid programme to, amongst others, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which is charged with upholding the rights of refugees and asylum seekers under international law and with providing essential humanitarian assistance. In addition, the Irish Naval Service helps save lives through its actions to assist those who get into difficulty trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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54. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised concerns with the Government of the United States of America regarding the separation of children from their parents and the detention of vulnerable children in cages at the US-Mexican border; his views on whether this violates child and human rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27900/18]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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74. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the representations he has made with the Government of the United States of America in relation to its policy to separate minors from their immigrant parents; his views on whether this is a breach of human rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28023/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 74 together.I was appalled by the images which recently emerged of immigrant children being separated from their parents at the southern US border and held in detention by the US authorities.

I made my, and the Government’s, view of this policy very clear when I spoke on June 20 last week in the course of the Dáil debate on this issue.

I stated in the course of that debate that the policy of separating children from their parents was inhumane and simply wrong, and I urged the US Government to immediately reverse the policy.

Ireland, in common with all member States of the European Union, has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which establishes clear universal standards for protecting all children. The Convention states that signatories shall ensure that children shall not be separated from their parents against their will, unless such a separation is necessary for the best interests of the child.

As I stated in my contribution to the Dáil debate, I cannot see any way in which a policy of separating children from their parents in such circumstances could be said to be in the best interests of children.

In advance of the June 20^thDáil debate, I spoke that afternoon with the Chargée d’Affaires in the US Embassy in Dublin, Mr. Reece Smyth, and conveyed to him the Government’s strong views on the issue. He undertook to convey those views without delay to the relevant authorities in Washington, D.C.

I was pleased to see that, following the grave concerns which were expressed both domestically and internationally about this policy, President Trump signed an Executive Order on the afternoon of June 20^th, Washington, D.C., time, aimed at ending the practice of separation. I welcome this move towards a more humane practice of border protection and immigration control.

I very much hope that we have seen the last of this practice and the priority now must be reuniting all of the affected children with their parents, without delay.