Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2014
450. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total humanitarian aid provided to date for Syria and that region; if it is proposed to provide further assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48987/14]
View answer451. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the failure of the international community to provide adequate humanitarian aid to Syria and that region was discussed at the recent EU Foreign Affairs Council; if the failure of the international community to honour the commitments made following the Humanitarian Aid Pledging Conference was discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48993/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 450 and 451 together.
The protracted crisis in Syria has resulted in immense humanitarian need. More than 200,000 people have lost their lives, and there are now over 12.2 million people in need of immediate life-saving support within Syria. There are a further 3.3 million Syrian refugees requiring assistance in neighbouring countries. The revised UN response plan for Syria and the refugee populations requested US$6.5 billion dollars in total for operations in 2014, of which approximately 53% has been provided by the international community to date. This represents the largest humanitarian appeal in the history of the UN. In Syria alone the EU has provided €1.5 billion to assist refugees so far. Ireland strongly supports the continuation of the EU’s role as the largest donor to this prolonged crisis and has used every opportunity to encourage donors to honour their pledges towards the humanitarian response.
Ireland is one of the most generous contributors to the humanitarian response on a per capita basis. At the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria and the region held in Kuwait last January, Ireland pledged to provide €12 million in humanitarian assistance over the course of 2014. Given the scale of the crisis, we have already exceeded this pledge by €2 million. Since 2011, Ireland has provided over €28 million in humanitarian support to the Syrian people, delivered through UN partners and NGOs.
Ireland has also been consistent in our efforts to ensure that the necessary attention is given by the international community to this crisis, including at the most recent meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. At this meeting discussions were focussed on efforts to strengthen the security of Syrian refugees and the shortfall in funding to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in their response to the crisis. Fortunately, WFP has been able to resume its provision of food aid in Syria. It was agreed that the suspension of the WFP activities should not be allowed to happen again, and that longer term support to the organisation is needed.
The UN appeal for assistance to the Syrian people for 2015 is due to be launched today, 18 December, in Berlin. Once these detailed plans are available, I will consider how we can best respond to the need for additional assistance in 2015, while remaining mindful of the huge needs of people affected by other humanitarian crises, in Africa and elsewhere.
