Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 April 2014
35. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 63 of 8 April 2014, the Government’s position regarding the Rwandan President Paul Kagame and UN allegations regarding his involvement in Congo. [19013/14]
View answerAs highlighted in my response to Question No. 63 of 8 April 2014, Ireland is actively engaged at both European Union and United Nations level in relation to the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region. The Government, along with our partners at the EU and UN, condemns all forms of external support to destabilising forces active in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The focus by all sides must be on finding a durable solution to the ongoing crisis in the DRC and the region. It is imperative that regional Governments, including the Government of Rwanda, cooperate with the United Nations and play a positive role in searching for peace and stability. In this regard, I note that Rwanda is one of the signatories of the Framework Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Great Lakes Region which was signed in the presence of the UN Secretary General in Addis Ababa on 24 February 2013. Ireland is supporting former President Mary Robinson in her important role, as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Great Lakes region of Africa, to coordinate and assess the implementation of national and regional commitments under the Framework Agreement. In December 2013, Ireland contributed €300,000 to the UN Trust Fund in support of the Office of the Special Envoy. We are also actively considering support for the Women’s Platform for the peace process in the Great Lakes Region which is under the guidance of Special Envoy Robinson.
Since 2009, Ireland has provided €44.6 million in response to the crisis in the DRC. In 2013 alone, Ireland provided over €5.5 million in humanitarian funding to the DRC - €3.8 million was provided to the Common Humanitarian Fund for the DRC, while the remaining €1.8 million was allocated to NGO partners.
