Over the past six months, Ireland has played a pivotal role in successfully finalising two key EU asylum directives, bringing to a close the first phase of EU harmonisation in the area of asylum, writes Pia Prytz Phiri
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) welcomed the Irish EU Presidency's support for UNHCR positions and its efforts to have our concerns addressed.
However, the UNHCR also expressed concern at the restrictive character of parts of these directives, including the refugee definition and several procedural aspects which might lead to breaches of international standards.
Importantly, the directives represent only minimum standards rather than the maximum standards to which some governments may aspire in their efforts to ensure protection for refugees.
The UNHCR counts on Ireland's continued commitment to maintaining the highest standards of refugee protection in Ireland and Europe.
Ireland, among many other countries, on Monday marked World Refugee Day with the theme "A Place to call Home".
Home has different meanings for refugees. For some, Ireland will become a new home, but for others it will always be the country which they fled.
Last year, 1.1 million refugees voluntarily returned to their homes, more than half of these to Afghanistan. Refugees desperately want to return home, even to countries devastated by many years of conflict.
We have witnessed people returning to Angola, Burundi, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Cote d'Ivoire, Bosnia Herzegovina, Liberia, Eritrea, Croatia and Somalia even though conditions in several of these countries are far from ideal.
Returning home to such conditions is never easy, especially when war-torn countries face the task of rehabilitation and reconstruction. Ireland's Development Co-operation Agency is a significant contributor to UNHCR programmes assisting refugees to reintegrate in their home countries.
While the horizon looks promising enough for some refugees to return home to the countries from which they fled, there are many others for whom return may never be an option, reducing their available solutions to integration in a host asylum country or resettlement to a country willing to accept them, where they can restart their lives.
Last year, the Irish Government, which is among a small number of countries willing to rescue refugees from desperate situations, signalled its further commitment to resettlement by enshrining it in Irish law.
In 2003, some 26,000 refugees were resettled through the UNHCR, of whom 54 were taken by Ireland. We estimate that some 37,000 refugees will be in need of resettlement in 2005.
With a continued decrease in the number of asylum-seekers arriving by their own means in Ireland and the enhanced structures to receive refugees, the UNHCR is appealing to the Irish Government to gradually increase its current resettlement quota of 10 cases (a single case could involve a whole family - hence the 54 admissions last year).
Some 72 per cent of the global refugee population lives in developing countries. An increase in Ireland's resettlement quota would signal its genuine intention to share responsibility for the world's refugees and to save refugee lives that might otherwise be lost.
There are some 6,000 recognised refugees in Ireland. Many have been granted asylum through the national asylum procedure and a small number have resettled in Ireland by invitation of the Government on UNHCR programmes or other programmes. For many, Ireland is and will become their "place to call home". Some have already successfully integrated and made valuable contributions to Ireland. But many struggle to make their lives here.
From a practical viewpoint, they may be unable to speak the language, their qualifications may not be recognised, or due to their unplanned departure they may not possess evidence of their skills or work experience. Psychologically, a refugee's desire to return home may also create an initial obstacle.
The UNHCR has welcomed the Government's visionary integration policy, "A Two-way Process", launched in December and sees it as a good starting point.
The National Action Plan on Racism, which is being drafted, will also be an ideal framework for directing refugee integration activities in future, but there is need to move forward with the refugee integration policy now, to implement a programme with concrete activities to encourage and assist refugees on the path to integration.
With the growing number of refugees recognised in Ireland, there is an urgency in this matter. Indeed, further delays may create problems for refugees in integrating in a way that allows them contribute their best. This could have devastating long-term effects, not only on refugees themselves but also on Irish society, as has been seen in other European countries.
The structures for good integration activities already exists through mainstream services such as the health boards, schools, hospitals, housing and employment services.
Irish voluntary and refugee support groups have invaluable experience to share and their role could be formalised. Refugees themselves can make indispensable contributions in formulating their needs.
Creating an environment for integration will be crucial and therefore needs the unequivocal support of all political parties and of national and local politicians.
A firm commitment to investing in integration will give an important signal to local communities and refugees that refugees are truly welcome, that their contributions will be valued and their cultures respected.
Pia Prytz Phiri is a representative of the UNHCR in Ireland