- Ireland has agreed with the UNHCR & EU to provide sanctuary to 2,900 people fleeing persecution over the next 4 years
- European Commission provides €9 million funding to support resettlement
- Community Sponsorship Ireland programme to be expanded to help integration
Ireland will welcome up to 2,900 refugees between 2020 and 2023 through a combination of resettlement and community sponsorship under the plans unveiled today by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, and his colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for Equality, Immigration and Integration, David Stanton TD.
Under the plans, a new phase of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) will see 650 UNHCR resettlements in 2020, 700 in 2021, 750 in 2022 and 800 in 2023. The arrivals for the first two years will largely comprise Syrian refugees resident in Jordan and Lebanon, along with a pilot group of 150 Eritrean refugees resident in Ethiopia.
The European Commission will provide funding of €9m to support the resettlement of 900 people between early 2020 and June 2021.
Commenting on the programme Minister Flanagan said:
The humanitarian situation in a number of regions around the world remains particularly acute. In Syria alone there are over 11 million people, including 6 million children, that are desperate for help. It is only right and proper that Ireland plays its part and offers a helping hand to those less fortunate than ourselves.
This new phase of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) will build on the work we have been doing since 2015 to resettle thousands of people. I’m proud that as a dedicated and active member of the international community, we continue to uphold our responsibilities in helping those fleeing the most harrowing circumstances including war and persecution.
My Department is working on a whole of Government basis to ensure that appropriate services are in place for those coming to Ireland as part of resettlement programmes now and in the period to 2023.
Speaking following his speech at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva Minister Stanton said:
Faced with the largest flows of displaced people since the Second World War, it is vital that we act – collectively, determinedly and urgently, to implement the Global Compact on Refugees.
It is important that Ireland continues to play its part in acting as a safe haven for people in need of protection and humanitarian support. This new phase of the IRPP will take up to 2900 people between 2020 and 2023 through a combination of resettlement and community sponsorship.
We want to ensure that refugees who arrive in Ireland feel fully integrated into the community. That is why we want to expand our Community Sponsorship programme as it enables everyday people to support refugees and to extend hands of friendship and welcome to them when they arrive to Ireland. I invite communities and citizens all over the country who want to assist refugee peoples and families to consider the newly launched Community Sponsorship Programme and to set up groups in their own areas. See www.integration.ie for further information.
Minister Stanton said.