The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees may scale down its representation in Ireland just four years after establishing a permanent office here, the commissioner's envoy, Ms Pia Prutz Phiri, has said.
She said demands on the agency in new EU states and border areas and the issue of "resources" might result in a gradual reduction in the UNHCR presence here.
Ms Prutz Phiri was speaking to The Irish Times in Galway yesterday where she marked the publication of a pocket guide for refugees.
"There is now a lot of experience in the Irish community, and independent institutions have been established, so it is something we may be able to consider."
One of the two main reasons cited for opening a permanent Irish office in 2001 was the fact that the Republic had become "an important and reliable donor" for the office. The second reason was the increase in refugee applicants arriving in Ireland.
However, asylum applications have fallen, mainly due to a more hostile official environment, and the EU now represents 25 states.
Ms Prutz Phiri, a Danish international lawyer, has run an office in Dublin since 2001 with a public information officer and an administrative officer. She has made significant public statements and interventions since taking over responsibility for Ireland in 2000 at the London UNHCR office.
Speaking at yesterday's function, Ms Prutz Phiri said Ireland had "done a lot" in terms of working toward integration, and was held up as a model by some of the new EU states.
The pocket guide, published by the Galway Refugee Support Group, the Refugee Information Service and the Support Project for Adolescent Refugee Kids (SPARKS), has been funded by Comhairle, and aims to give refugees and asylum-seekers information in four languages - English, French, Russian and Arabic - to both State and independent support and advisory organisations.
