World Refugee Day Reminds Us of the Stark Challenges before us – O’Brien

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Darragh O’Brien said that today, World Refugee Day, reminds us of the stark challenges before us and the need to find fair and sustainable solutions to the ongoing refugee crisis.

Commenting on the issue Deputy O’Brien said: “Today marks World Refugee Day and it serves as a reminder that there are millions of people throughout the world who have been forced to flee their homes because of war, persecution and natural disasters.

“The conflict in Syria and the multiple other ongoing conflicts around the globe has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people seeking a safe haven in Europe.

“Unfortunately, the European response to this crisis has fallen short and the decision by Médecins San Frontier to no longer accept funds from the EU due to its opposition to the EU-Turkey migration deal underscores, as I said last week, the need to re-evaluate our approach to dealing with this crisis.

“The European Union was founded on the values of respect for human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. We must not turn our back on these principles and we must rise to the challenge before us.

“The Report published last week by the United Nations labelling the action of ISIS against the Yazidi people as genocide emphasises the reality that many people seeking refuge in Europe have been or are at risk of being subjected to the most horrendous atrocities. These include slavery, rape and torture, and we must do all that we can to respond in a way that upholds our European principles and ideals. Failure to do so fails the EU as a whole, but more importantly it fails refugees, the people most in need of protection.”
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