History of protection in Ireland
On 20 June 2011, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) marked the 60th anniversary of the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Adopted by 144 States, of which Ireland was one of the early signatories, the Convention has provided the framework for the protection of the lives of hundreds of thousands of refugees around the world, over the past 60 years.
In this anniversary year, UNHCR will seek to awaken a shared humanity by conveying individual stories and humanising an issue often reduced to numbers. Our vision is a future where the forcibly displaced live freely in safety and dignity as they re-establish their places in the world. One family forced to flee is one too many. One refugee without hope is one too many.
Ireland is no stranger to the effects of displacement and conflict. Over the centuries, Ireland has experienced many turbulent and challenging times which led to people leaving Irish shores to seek protection and safety from conflict, famine, and religious persecution. This shared history with global refugees is illustrated in the stories of eleven refugees who came to Ireland in the last sixty years available to read here, in particular those of Chilean refugees who came to Ireland in 1974. The refugees who came as children following the Pinochet coup recall on arrival being housed in Dublin with people who had fled the Troubles in Northern Ireland. From vastly different backgrounds and circumstances they were united in their need for a safe haven and their appreciation for the Irish State which offered them protection.
In recent decades, Ireland has continued to contribute to the protection of refugees at home and abroad in a number of concrete ways. A refugee status determination (RSD) procedure for asylum seekers arriving in the State was established. To read more about the history of RSD procedure in Ireland please click here for a piece by the Refugee Applications Commissioner. To assist those who could not build a future in their place of temporary refuge, Ireland established a resettlement programme welcoming and extending a home to refugees stranded in desperate circumstances abroad.
Ireland has also made substantial contributions to the global work of UNHCR by providing our headquarters in Geneva with material and practical support over the years. Countless Irish nationals have served with UNHCR as staff members and volunteers and the Irish Defence Forces have played a crucial role in supporting UNHCR operations internationally and are highly regarded for the quality of their contribution to UN Missions. To read more about the history of the involvement of Irish Defence Forces in UN missions click here for a piece by Colonel Gerald Aherne, former Deputy Force Commander for MINURCAT Mission in Chad. To read a piece by Andy Needham who has been working with UNHCR since March 2008 as a member of Irish Aid’s Rapid Response Corps and is currently working for UNHCR Somalia please click here.
On the occasion of this 60th anniversary we express our appreciation for the vital role Ireland has played in supporting refugees to find a safe haven in Ireland and in other countries.
Sophie Magennis, Head of Office, UNHCR Ireland
