The situation in Mali remains high priority for the international community, including the European Union. It has been discussed at a series of international and EU meetings over recent months. Ireland has played a significant role in these talks in our capacity as EU Presidency, including in discussions which I chaired at the meeting of EU Development Ministers in Dublin in February. Ireland was invited by the co-hosts, the EU and the French Government, to attend the International Donors Conference for Development in Mali which took place in Brussels yesterday. I represented the Government at the meeting.
Ireland is committed to continuing to respond to humanitarian needs in Mali and the wider region. In 2012, the Government provided €9.25 million for relief efforts in the Sahel region, through Irish and international NGO partners. We announced a further €1.8 million in Irish Aid funding earlier this year, for those worst affected by the crisis in Mali, including assistance to displaced people and refugees. At the Conference in Brussels yesterday, I announced a further €2.5 million in humanitarian and recovery funding for Mali over the two-year period ahead.