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Objectives of this Paper

1. To encourage a more streamlined approach to the integration of refugees and asylum
   seekers in Ireland
2. To promote strategic planning to develop a symbiosis between integration and the
   development of the State

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International and national obligations to the right to housing

Ireland has obligations under international agreements to provide for the right to housing. Article 25 of the United Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) provides that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and of his family, including food clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services”. Similarly, Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) provides that States Parties recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing and to the continuous improvement of living conditions”. States which have signed this Covenant are obligated to ‘take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right’.

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The Co-op would like to endorse the position of the Living Wage Technical Group of which Social Justice Ireland, Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI), TASC and SIPTU are members. In this submission we will briefly articulate the reasons for this endorsement and reaffirm the benefits of implementing the Living Wage, as they have been outlined by the aforementioned organisations. Our promotion of this position stems from our work in disadvantaged areas of the inner city. As is highlighted in our recently published No Child Shall Suffer report, there are working people of the inner city unable to provide an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families. The realisation of the Living Wage would alleviate significant stress and suffering for those we call the ‘working poor’.

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National and International commitments to children and young people

Ireland has made numerous commitments to the wellbeing of the nation’s children. In January of 1919 the first Dáil of Ireland declared that no child in Ireland would go hungry, be denied shelter, or lack the means to gain an education. In 1992 Ireland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The rights endowed upon all children following its ratification include the right to shelter, nutrition, education, and protection from neglect and abuse.

In 2014 the Irish government introduced the first overarching national policy framework for children and young people. Better Outcomes Brighter Futures (BOBF), contained within it numerous positive and progressive commitments to the children and young people of this country. The six transformational goals and five national outcomes remain highly relevant for the succeeding policy framework. However, there is an implementation gap that must be prioritized going forward.

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