Written answers

Tuesday, 20 November 2018

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Human Rights

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on recent comments by an organisation (details supplied) that the EU migration policy is trapping thousands of refugees in appalling conditions in Libya; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48014/18]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In June, the European Council reconfirmed that a precondition for a functioning EU policy on migration relies on a comprehensive approach to migration which combines effective controls of the EU's external borders, external action to strengthen co-operation with countries of transit and origin and dealing with the management of migrants within the European Union, where a balance of solidarity and responsibility is needed.

As part of this multi-faceted approach, the March European Council adopted the Malta Declaration which sets out the EU’s commitment to assist Libya. This broad-ranging commitment includes capacity building, training, and the provision of equipment and support for the Libyan national coast guard and other agencies. It also seeks to ensure that there are adequate reception capacities in Libya for migrants, through working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Progress has been made in alleviating the plight of migrants in Libya but this must be built upon. Since 2014, the EU has mobilised €286 million on migration projects in Libya, €20 million as bilateral assistance and €266 million through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Using the Trust Fund, the EU is working to provide multi-sectoral assistance and protection to migrants, refugees and host communities in different locations inside Libya, in particular inside detention centres, at disembarkation points and in urban settings. Assistance includes hygiene kits, basic non-food items and medical care. Funds are also being used to work towards the stabilisation of host communities, for example through socio-economic development at municipal level. Projects are being implemented by international partners on the ground, including the UNHCR and UNICEF, and by EU Member States. Ireland has pledged €15 million for the Fund, of which €12 million is unearmarked, and overall Ireland’s is the third highest per capita contribution by an EU Member State.

Support programmes have provided training to the Libyan authorities on international standards and human rights training. They have also focused on setting up mixed community development spaces and safe spaces as alternatives to detention centres. There has been progress in the efforts to support migrants stranded in Libya and wishing to return to their home countries. As an alternative to detention centres, the EU has also been supporting voluntary repatriation, voluntary return and the humanitarian return of migrants from Libya. So far in 2018, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has helped over 14,600 migrants to return voluntarily to their country of origin from Libya, with support from the EU.

While the EU has engaged substantially on this issue, further work remains to be done. I am deeply troubled by the persistent human rights abuse that have been perpetrated against migrants in Libyan detention centres, as reported by the UN Human Rights Office and others. I have raised these concerns at the Foreign Affairs Council and the Taoiseach has raised them at the European Council.

Ultimately, bringing real improvements to the lives of Libyans and migrants, and ensuring an end to human rights abuses, will require the restoration of political stability, and an end to lawlessness in Libya. This requires the formation of a fully functioning and unified government, and a return to order throughout the country. I call on all parties to cooperate fully with UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé, whose efforts Ireland and the EU fully support.

I commend Italy’s efforts in hosting the conference on Libya in Palermo last week. I particularly welcome the conclusions announced following the conference, which call for a Libyan-led inclusive national conference to be held in early 2019, followed by an electoral process in spring. I call on all parties in Libya to uphold their commitments. An inclusive, Libyan-led reconciliation process is the only path to completing Libya’s transition, and bringing about a sovereign, democratic and stable country, that respects and protects the rights of all citizens, and all others in Libya.

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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103. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 425 social and community leaders have been murdered in Colombia since the signing of the peace agreement; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that these murders are targeted and pose a very real threat to the peace process; if has he raised these continued attacks on and assassinations of community and political activists in Colombia with his Colombian counterpart; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48134/18]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Firstly, I wish to extend my sincere sympathies and condolences to all of those affected by these acts of violence in Colombia. Such violence is entirely unacceptable, and I would once again call on the Government of Colombia to ensure that all such incidents are thoroughly investigated and their perpetrators brought to justice. I continue to be concerned about the attacks targeting social and community leaders in Colombia. The peace deal between the Colombian Government and FARC-EP group signed in November 2016 offered great hope that the 50 year cycle of armed conflict would be brought to an end. It is worth recalling that this conflict took the lives of at least 220,000 Colombians and displaced close to six million people.

The signing of this agreement was a historic moment but, as we know from our experience in Ireland, the signing of a peace agreement only marks the beginning of a process. We in Ireland understand the slow and painstaking work that goes into building trust between communities to enable reconciliation and to develop a culture of trust. We have had many dark moments and setbacks on our own road to peace.

My Department has an ongoing commitment to support peace and human rights in Colombia, including through the full implementation of the country’s peace accord. As well as exchanges with the Colombian authorities at Government level, officials at the Department and at the Embassy of Ireland in Mexico (which at present has responsibility for Colombia) engage regularly with the European Union Delegation and other embassies in Bogota, as well as with human rights defenders and civil society leaders active across the country.

My Department is also pleased to provide ongoing support to former Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore in his role as EU Special Envoy to the Colombian peace process. Appointed to this role by HRVP Federica Mogherini in November 2015, Eamon Gilmore has been working with both Colombian and EU stakeholders to support the peace process, especially in the implementation phase.

I firmly believe that Colombia’s peace accord provides the framework in which the endemic violence and impunity which has afflicted Colombian society for decades can successfully be addressed. Historic strides have been made to date in its implementation. However, it is important to recognise that there remain significant challenges to its implementation, including in the areas of de-mining, attention to victims, transitional justice, and rural development, some of which directly impacts on the situation of political and community activists.

The Department provides funding directly to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia (OHCHR) to support its essential work to promote and protect human rights including in some of Colombia’s most isolated and challenging regions, as well as to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, which provides protection measures to community leaders and activists operating in Colombia and elsewhere in Latin America.

With the opening of our new embassy in Bogota early next year, we will be in an even stronger position to monitor the progress of the peace process and to work alongside our EU partners and other organisations active on the ground. I can assure the Deputy of our continued commitment to assisting the Colombian Government in their goal of achieving a brighter, more peaceful and more prosperous future for all Colombians.

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