I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 49 together.
The unprecedented humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Syria and in surrounding countries is of grave concern. As the Deputy will be aware, there are now almost 7 million people in need of emergency humanitarian assistance inside Syria, while the number of fatalities as a result of the widespread and indiscriminate violence is in excess of 90,000. As a result of this crisis there are more than 1.6 million Syrians in neighbouring countries who have been forced to make the dangerous journey out of Syria, with more than 4 million more who have been displaced from their homes within Syria’s borders. With each passing day, the humanitarian situation becomes increasingly desperate.
Ireland has been a leader in terms of the international humanitarian response to this crisis. Only days ago, the Government announced a further humanitarian assistance package of €1.65 million, bringing our overall assistance to help meet the needs arising from this crisis to almost €10 million. This includes Ireland’s pledge of €4.7 million made at the Kuwait Pledging Conference for Syria in January, which was met in full. This significant support marks us out as one of the most generous contributors in the world to the humanitarian response on a per capita basis. Ireland’s support is being provided through trusted UN agencies, NGO partners and the Red Cross to deliver life saving assistance, including with water, food, shelter and vital medicines, to the most vulnerable and in greatest need as a result of this disaster.
At the international level, the Government has consistently raised the dire situation being faced by the people of Syria and the imperative to improve humanitarian access to the worst affected areas. In this regard, my own visit to al-Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan in 2012 and the Tánaiste’s visit to Nizip refugee camp in southern Turkey provided further opportunity for Ireland to express our concern about the humanitarian consequences of the Syrian crisis.
Throughout our Presidency of the Council of European Union, we have also underlined the gravity of the humanitarian situation and the need to provide urgently needed assistance to all those affected. At this week’s meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg, we encouraged our partners to increase their contributions to the humanitarian response and to respect pledges already made.
We welcome the fact that the EU and its Member States, including Ireland, has so far contributed almost €1 billion in emergency funding to address the humanitarian crisis, and recently announced an additional €400 million as a response to the deterioration of the situation in the country and the surrounding region. We also welcome the collective commitment made by G8 leaders who met in Co. Fermanagh last week to provide an additional $1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance. This is in support of the latest UN appeal for $5.2 billion launched earlier this month and which represented the largest such appeal ever launched by the UN.
