Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 November 2013
94. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which it has been found possible unilaterally and through the aegis of the EU to co-ordinate a comprehensive aid programme for the Philippines in the wake of the recent natural disaster; the extent to which it has been found possible to meet requests for vital emergency supplies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48936/13]
View answer136. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the global community has put in place pre-arranged plans to assist in the event of major natural disasters such as the typhoon in the Philippines; if through the aegis of the EU and UN, it has been found possible to put in place a pre-arranged and co-ordinated sequence of measures to deal with such events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49531/13]
View answer137. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which international aid has been made available to the disaster struck areas in the Philippines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49532/13]
View answer138. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he in conjunction with his EU and UN colleagues has succeeded in focusing attention on the situation in the Philippines in the aftermath of the recent disaster with a view to ensuring that the maximum potential for aid distribution is achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49533/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 136 to 138, inclusive, together.
Current estimates indicate that Typhoon Haiyan has affected 13 million people across 41 provinces (representing over 10% of the country’s population), with up to 4 million people displaced. Official estimates indicate that at least 3,600 lives have been lost. However, it is likely that the full picture of the human cost of this disaster will only emerge in the coming days as relief teams get to remote areas, which are without power and communication following one of the most powerful storms ever recorded.
For our part, Ireland was one of the first countries to respond to this disaster and, on the basis of pledges announced to date, our contribution currently stands as one of the highest amounts provided by a bilateral donor. On Sunday, 10 November, the Government announced emergency funding from Ireland of €1 million towards the relief effort for Typhoon Haiyan. One week later, as the magnitude of this disaster became apparent, this sum was increased to €2.25 million. A separate dispatch of over 100 tonnes of essential shelter items for distribution to families worst affected by the disaster, to the value of €510,000, was also authorised and arrived in Cebu on Wednesday, 13 November. Irish Aid is preparing for a further airlift of essential shelter items in the coming days.
My officials are in daily contact with UNOCHA, UNICEF and WFP on requirements for deployment of technical experts from the Irish Rapid Response Corps. An Irish Captain and engineer in the Defence Forces was deployed on 17th November to support WFP’s operations in the Philippines and an Information Management Specialist was deployed on the same day to support UNICEF’s operations. We expect further deployments in the coming days. In addition, we have authorised the release of €425,000 in funding which had been pre-positioned with trusted NGO partners for sudden-onset emergencies such as this. This brings the total sum of Ireland’s contributions to date to over €3 million.
My officials are also in regular contact with the European Commission’s Directorate for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) and, in particular, the EU Emergency Response Centre. The EU has made available €10 million in emergency funding to support the immediate relief efforts in the areas worst affected by the Typhoon and has pledged a further US$40 million in longer-term development assistance to assist with the Philippines' efforts to recover from this devastating disaster.
Despite the many logistical challenges to the relief effort, the response of the international community has been rapid, with a large UN Disaster Coordination (UNDAC) team and a team of experts from ECHO being deployed to assist the national authorities to assess the impact of the disaster as early as Friday, 8 November.
On the basis of these co-ordinated assessments, a UN Flash Appeal was jointly launched by the UN and the Government of the Philippines on Tuesday, 12 November. This appeal calls for funding of just over US $300 million to cover immediate emergency relief, and continued support to the affected populations over the coming six months. To date, US$ 78 million, 26 % of the funds requested under this appeal, has been received. Ireland will examine the potential for further contributions, within our means, to the relief programmes identified within this appeal.
The international community has learned many lessons from previous crises, such as the 2004 Tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Under the leadership of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), reform of the humanitarian system has led to clear plans being put in place to strengthen preparedness and ensure the most effective, efficient and rapid delivery of aid possible. Ireland has supported these reform efforts and will continue to ensure that our response is timely, effective and meets the most critical, immediate needs of affected populations.
