UNHCR welcomes Ireland's decision to resettle 220 refugees and review the Syrian Humanitarian Admission Programme

The UN refugee agency welcomes the Irish Government’s decision to resettle 220 refugees in 2015 and 2016, including refugees from Syria. The announcement, which was made at the High Level Meeting on resettlement for Syrian refugees in Geneva today (Friday), comes as States begin offering additional places in 2015-2016 for those displaced by the crisis in Syria.

“This is further proof of the Irish government’s commitment to finding solutions for refugees around the world” said Sophie Magennis, Head of Office with UNHCR Ireland. “At a time when global forced displacement exceeds 50 million, resettlement is increasingly the only durable solution for many people forced to flee because of war and conflict. This is especially the case in Syria, the greatest humanitarian tragedy of our time.” 

2.8 million people have fled Syria since the conflict began in 2011. On current estimates, that figure will rise to 4.1 million by the end of 2014. Another 6.5 million Syrians are internally displaced, meaning that half of Syria’s population has now been forced out of their homes.
As a result UNHCR anticipates that in the coming years, there will be increasing numbers of vulnerable Syrian refugees who will be in need of resettlement, relocation, or other forms of humanitarian admission.

The plight of Syrians was highlighted last night at the 2014 Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) Human Rights Film Awards, where documentary maker Niamh Heery was awarded the Grand Prize for her film about Syrian asylum seekers in Bulgaria. http://www.iccl.ie/articles/voices-of-displaced-people-ring-out-at-iccl-human-rights-film-awards.html

“We welcome the announcement that Ireland will review the operation of its Syrian Humanitarian Admission Programme which has received over 300 applications to date. We hope that with a flexible approach and supports to families, more Syrians may be given the opportunity to join family members in Ireland.
“We are appealing to the international community to continue providing long-term solutions for Syrian refugees who are most urgently in need”, added Magennis. “UNHCR continues to urge all states to offer resettlement and other forms of admission for refugees from Syria towards the multiannual goal of 130,000 places by the end of 2016.”

Notes to Editors:

UNHCR is the UN agency mandated to ensure respect for the rights of people fleeing war and persecution and to find lasting solutions to their plight.

51.2 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2013, fully six million more than the 45.2 million reported in 2012.
Of these, refugee numbers amounted to 16.7 million people worldwide, 11.7 million of whom are under UNHCR’s care and the remainder registered with our sister organization, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. These totals alone are the highest UNHCR has seen since 2001. More than half of the refugees under UNHCR’s care (6.3 million) had at end 2013 been in exile for more than five years.

Ireland’s total financial commitment to the Syrian crisis is over EUR 28 million to date.

In 2013, 31 refugees from Syria were resettled in Ireland. Another 90 are expected to arrive later this year.

For more  information, please contact Jody Clarke at UNHCR on 01 631 4614 or [email protected]