Written Answers Nos. 38 - 46
38. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he supports the Geneva II conference, to be held in January 2014, which aims to create a settlement to the Syrian conflict; and if he believes representatives of the Kurdish community should be invited as a separate delegation, rather than being placed with the broad opposition. [52250/13]
View answerI warmly welcome the announcement by UN Secretary-General Ban that the Geneva conference will be held on 22 January 2014. While there have been delays in convening the conference, it is beyond dispute that it offers the only realistic path at present to devising a workable political solution and to ending the conflict and the horrendous suffering of the Syrian people. Building on the original Geneva communiqué of 30 June 2012, the aim of the conference is to reach agreement on the formation of an inclusive transitional governing body which will replace the Assad regime and end the terrible conflict which has ravaged Syria since early 2011. The Syrian opposition have been requested and are being strongly encouraged by the UN and by UN/Arab League Special Representative Lahkdar Brahimi to make every effort to field a united negotiating team for the Geneva II conference. It will ultimately be for each segment of the opposition, including the representatives of the Kurdish community within Syria, to decide their own position on the conference but I imagine they will wish to give careful consideration to the views of UN Secretary General Ban and Joint Special Representative Brahimi as convenors of the conference.
39. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if any Irish aid supplies are being sent to Kurdish regions in Syria; and if his attention has been drawn to aid supplies being sent to Syria not reaching Kurdish regions, which they were destined for, due to interference by neighbouring and transit countries. [52251/13]
View answer43. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will raise at the next EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting the need for the European Union and indeed the international community in general to provide additional and much needed humanitarian assistance for Syria and adjoining areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52416/13]
View answer44. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total assistance provided to date in 2013 by Irish Aid for humanitarian assistance in Syria and adjoining areas; if it is proposed to provide further assistance before the end of this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52417/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 39, 43 and 44 together.
The protracted and tragic crisis in Syria has resulted in unprecedented levels of humanitarian need, requiring a sustained response from the international community. As the number of fatalities rises towards 120,000, including 12, 000 children under five, there are now approximately nine million people who are in need of immediate life-saving support. In addition to more than 6.5 million people who are displaced within Syria, there are currently 2.2 million Syrians who have fled to neighbouring countries.
Ireland has been to the fore in the international efforts to help alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people and is one of the most generous contributors to the humanitarian response on a per capita basis. We have provided more than €14 million in assistance since the crisis began, of which almost €11.4 million was provided in 2013. In addition, Ireland is an important donor to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) which this year has allocated US$82 million to Syria and neighbouring countries. A second pledging conference for Syria and region is due to take place in Kuwait in January 2014 and we are examining the possibility of future Irish assistance.
Irish Aid has channelled our humanitarian aid through key UN and NGO partners, as well as through the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. These agencies are selected on the basis of their capacity to deliver impartial assistance to large numbers of people, both within Syria and to refugees and host communities in neighbouring countries. Our funding to international organisations remains un-earmarked so that assistance can be targeted where it is most needed, ensuring that it reaches the most vulnerable and marginalised regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation. Irish humanitarian aid is being distributed across Syria. We are in close contact with our humanitarian partners in the field and they have not reported any specific issue related to the interference of neighbouring countries in the delivery of supplies to Kurdish areas in Syria.
We have worked closely with our humanitarian partners to ensure that the necessary systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the use and impact of Ireland’s assistance. We insist that our partners fully adhere to the principles of ‘Good Humanitarian Donorship’, promoting accountability, efficiency and effectiveness in implementing humanitarian action.
It is a particularly regrettable feature of this conflict that, while millions of people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, indiscriminate attacks on civilians and humanitarian personnel continue unabated, and armed groups on both sides continue to disregard their obligations under International Humanitarian Law. The Government of Ireland has matched its material humanitarian contribution with concrete support to international efforts to find a sustainable political solution to the crisis. We have called clearly for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access. We have called for all parties to the conflict to fully respect international humanitarian law and to refrain from the targeting of civilians.
Ireland has been consistent in its efforts at EU level to ensure the necessary attention is given by the international community to this crisis. Throughout our EU Presidency in the first half of this year, Ireland repeatedly underlined the gravity of the humanitarian situation, including in regular discussion at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. The Council Conclusions on Syria issued following the most recent meeting of the Council, last month, condemned the continuing widespread and systematic violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Syria, including increasing attacks on religious and ethnic communities. The Council further called for the facilitation by all parties of safe, unhindered and immediate access to populations in need of assistance in the entirety of the Syrian territory, including across conflict lines and across borders from neighbouring countries. The Conclusions reaffirmed that only a political solution that results in a united, inclusive and democratic Syria can end the crisis.
The humanitarian crisis in Syria is likely to be on the agenda for this month’s Development Ministers Council and I will be strongly supporting the continuation of the EU’s role as the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. In view of the immense needs in Syria and neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees, Ireland will continue to call for increased support to the humanitarian relief effort, both within the EU and more broadly internationally.
40. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department's Annual Report for 2012 has been published yet. [52273/13]
View answerPreparation of my Department’s Annual Report for 2012 was deferred until the conclusion of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union. The report has now been prepared and will be published shortly on the Department’s website.
41. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on recent statements by UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator, Mr. James W. Rawley, regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza; and the actions the Government is taking to support the people of Gaza affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis. [52349/13]
View answer49. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the situation in Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52459/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 49 together.
Last October, during my visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories to see the impact of Ireland’s aid programme, I witnessed firsthand the very difficult conditions on the ground in Gaza. I saw how the ongoing political turmoil and insecurity in the Middle East is resulting in a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. I share the concerns expressed recently by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. James Rawley. Indeed I had the opportunity to discuss these issues with him during my visit.
While Israeli restrictions have eased marginally in recent times, the overall situation in Gaza has worsened in recent months as Egypt has taken action against smuggling into Gaza, in response to its own security concerns. The existing fuel shortfall and shortage of supply of building materials, accentuated by the closure of tunnels, is affecting the daily lives of residents, their electricity supply and water and sewage facilities.
High youth unemployment, low wages and high food prices remain serious concerns. The food security situation, however, is the principal cause for alarm. More than 800,000 of the over 1.2 million Palestine refugees in Gaza receive food assistance from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is providing basic education, health, relief and social services for some 5 million registered Palestinian refugees across the region.
Ireland has responded to the current crisis by providing additional funding of €500,000 to UNRWA to support the food assistance element of their Gaza Emergency Appeal. This brings Ireland’s total contribution to UNRWA’s appeals for Gaza to €4.64 million since 2006. UNRWA’s food assistance provides a lifeline for thousands of refugee families in Gaza and helps to prevent a potentially large scale crisis in a context where an estimated 57% of households are classified as food insecure.
This funding support is in addition to Ireland’s broader programme of assistance to the Palestinian people and brings our total funding support to date in 2013 to €8.3 million. This includes support to UNRWA’s general fund, the Palestinian Authority, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and civil society organisations working to promote human rights and democratisation.
In addition to our humanitarian support, the Government raises the problems facing Gaza and its people both directly with Israel and through EU engagement with Israel. This includes regular contacts between the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Israeli authorities, and between officials and the Israeli Embassy in Dublin. In addition to my own visit, the Tánaiste travelled to Gaza last year to highlight the desperate living conditions being experienced by people as a result of the blockade of the territory. Ireland also raised the situation in Gaza in the universal review of Israel at the UN Human Rights Council in October. In these contacts, we consistently call on Israel to end the restrictions on Gaza, and call on other states to do more to exert pressure in this regard.
Ireland will continue to support actively the search for a lasting and peaceful political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as the wider region. In the meantime we will continue to offer the humanitarian support which is essential in addressing the ongoing basic needs of the Palestinian people.
42. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he proposes to raise at the next EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting the ongoing crisis in Syria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52415/13]
View answerThe Syrian crisis is due to be discussed at the December Foreign Affairs Council. This will provide an opportunity for the Council to review recent developments, including the welcome announcement that the long-planned Geneva II peace conference is now scheduled to begin on 22 January. The Council discussion is also likely to focus on EU support for the ongoing destruction of Syrian chemical weapons overseen by the UN and OPCW as well as addressing the dire humanitarian crisis in Syria and neighbouring states. At last month’s Council, I emphasised the importance of more concerted action on the part of the international community to improve humanitarian access within Syria and remove the all too many obstacles which continue to exist to the provision of urgent assistance to the millions of Syrians in need within the country. I would again plan to raise this topic and support urgent consideration by the UN Security Council of a binding resolution on the humanitarian situation, to follow up on the Council’s Presidential statement of 2 October on this subject.
45. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total assistance provided by Irish Aid to date to assist the relief efforts following Typhoon Haiyan; if there are proposals to provide further assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52418/13]
View answer46. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he proposes to raise at the next EU Foreign Affairs meeting the urgent need for the European Union and indeed the international community in general to provide much needed further humanitarian assistance for the Philippines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52419/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 45 and 46 together.
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms ever recorded, hit the Philippines on 8 November with devastating effect. It is estimated at present that the typhoon affected 14.4 million people, with over 3.6 million remaining displaced, including approximately 1.5 million children. The full human toll of this disaster remains unclear but over 5,600 deaths have been confirmed to date.
Ireland was among the first to respond to this disaster, providing immediate, life-saving assistance. To date, the Government has provided over €3.6 million in humanitarian assistance, making Ireland one of the most generous contributors to the relief effort on a per capita basis. Of this assistance, over €2.6million in funding has been provided through our key NGO partners for the provision of emergency food and non-food items; water, sanitation and hygiene; emergency health care and protection of vulnerable women and children. Ireland’s support will benefit up to 50,000 households.
To date, Irish Aid has authorised four airlifts of essential relief items, the most recent of which arrived in the Philippines on Monday, 2 December. This brings the total amount of essential relief items provided by Ireland to 166 tonnes, valued at €967,000 in total. According to the latest figures, Ireland is the second largest contributor of emergency stocks through the UN World Food Programme Humanitarian Response Depot system, second only to the World Food Programme itself. We have also deployed five members of the Rapid Response Corps to the Philippines to assist UN relief.
An Irish Government's technical mission arrived in the Philippines on 28 November and travelled to the worst affected area, Tacloban City. The purpose of this mission is to prepare a detailed analysis of the longer-term needs of the worst affected regions and to explore ways in which Ireland can most effectively contribute to the recovery process. The team will return to Dublin later this week and report to the Tánaiste and me, with recommendations on how Ireland can assist the Philippines in the medium to long term.
The international community has so far contributed a total of US $394 million in response to this disaster. Of this, $167 million has been provided to the UN appeal which is at present 48% funded. This includes $25 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to which Ireland is an important contributor.
While the situation in the Philippines was not on the formal agenda for November’s EU Foreign Affairs Council, the Tánaiste took the opportunity to discuss with his EU colleagues the wider EU response to the crisis. Department officials are in regular contact with the European Commission’s Directorate for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) and, in particular, the EU Emergency Response Centre. As of the end of November, the EU and its Member States had provided over €130 million in support to the relief effort. Just last week, in Brussels, I also discussed the EU response with the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, who recently returned from the region.
While the agenda has not yet been finalised, I would expect that I will have the opportunity to discuss the evolving situation in the Philippines and the role the EU should play in the recovery process at the Development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council, which I will attend, in Brussels, on 12 December.
