Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 October 2014
158. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the proposals he put forward at the recent EU Foreign Affairs Council in relation to the need for the EU and the international community to intensify efforts to deal with the Ebola outbreak; if he will provide additional humanitarian assistance to the areas affected in West Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40688/14]
View answerThe EU Foreign Affairs Council, which I attended in Luxembourg on 20 October, held a critical discussion on Ebola, and in particular on the need to step up EU efforts to tackle the crisis in a more coordinated way. At the Council, we reviewed the overall situation in West Africa as the Ebola virus continues to spread in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Council recognised that a united and increased effort is needed to contain the outbreak and to provide the necessary assistance to the countries affected. In this respect, we stressed the importance of reinforcing regional and international cooperation and welcomed, in particular, the UN Secretary General’s decision to establish the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). It represents an important step in the global efforts to contain the outbreak; to assist with the management and coordination of the international response; and to take a strong leadership role at national levels. The Council recognised also the need to support international health workers who are essential in responding to the emergency and agreed that the EU will provide appropriate care for them, including the possibility of medical evacuation if necessary.
During the discussion, I reiterated the urgent need to intensify support for the West Africa region in particular by addressing gaps in leadership and coordination through UNMEER, by addressing funding needs and by addressing the urgent need for more international health-care professionals in the isolation and treatment centres. The Council called on all international donors to respond to the UN appeal for funding, including through the recently established UN Ebola Trust Fund.
Ireland will continue to work closely with EU partners as well as with the United Nations to ensure a coordinated and robust response in the tackling of the Ebola virus. We are providing over €16 million in the region, directly and through NGOs. Our programmes in Sierra Leone and Liberia are focused on strengthening health systems and we have reprogrammed other funding directly to the Ebola response.
We are urgently looking at what more we can do, both internationally and through our Embassy in Freetown, which has been very active in helping to coordinate the local effort. We have adopted a flexible approach with NGO partners so that our long-term development funding to them can, as necessary, be redirected to assist with the fight against Ebola. We are keeping in close contact with Irish aid organisations operating in the region.
Ireland has been playing a strong role internationally and on the ground in Sierra Leone, and, significantly, the Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion and North-South Cooperation, Seán Sherlock TD, was the first European Minister to visit the country since the start of the Ebola outbreak. We will continue to play our part in the fight to tackle the outbreak and I welcome the agreement at the Foreign Affairs Council that we will examine at the next meeting the wider political, security and economic implications of Ebola for West Africa.
