Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme, Irish Aid, announced funding of €1m in humanitarian support for the people of Afghanistan in mid-August. This funding will be channeled to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and is on top of €1m already provided to support humanitarian relief in Afghanistan in 2021. In addition, Ireland contributes to global funds and core funding to key agencies that allocate funding to Afghanistan, including through the EU, WHO, UNHCR, IFRC, ICRC and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Ireland will continue to engage, including at the UN Security Council, to support peace in Afghanistan and to protect and promote the human rights of all Afghans, especially for women and girls.  Ireland has also called for full and safe humanitarian access to allow life-saving support to reach all Afghans, including to respond to the urgent needs of families forced to flee their homes.

With regards to relocation, last month I announced, together with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, that places would be allocated to Afghan nationals under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).

The IRPP was created in 2015 as part of Ireland’s response to the migration crisis in central and southern Europe. It allows a predetermined number of people in need of international protection to be granted refugee status in Ireland. Places on the programme have been allocated to approximately 300 Afghans. Priority was given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations.

We remain fully engaged with the situation in Afghanistan, both at UN level and at EU level, in particular focusing on the protection of the human rights of the Afghan people, and the humanitarian situation in that country. In response, Ireland has offered an additional €1 million in emergency aid to the UNHCR to support Afghan refugees and other host countries. We will continue to engage in the humanitarian response in Afghanistan at the upcoming High Level Ministerial Meeting on 13 September 2021, in Geneva.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Last month I announced, together with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, that places would be allocated to Afghan nationals under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).

The IRPP was created in 2015 as part of Ireland’s response to the migration crisis in central and southern Europe. It allows a predetermined number of people in need of international protection to be granted refugee status in Ireland. Places on the programme have been allocated to approximately 300 Afghans. Priority was given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations.

We remain fully engaged with the situation in Afghanistan, both at UN level and at EU level, in particular focussing on the protection of the human rights of the Afghan people, and the humanitarian situation in that country. In response, Ireland has offered an additional €1 million in emergency aid to the UNHCR to support Afghan refugees and other host countries. We will continue to engage in the humanitarian response in Afghanistan at the upcoming High Level Ministerial Meeting on 13 September 2021, in Geneva.