Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2015
124. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade following the first Irish Humanitarian Summit, if he will detail the Irish Aid humanitarian funding provided in 2014; if this funding amount will be increased in the context of improving State finances; and the efforts being made at European Council level to address the conflicts which are resulting in the unprecedented displacement of persons. [28344/15]
View answerI was very pleased to participate in the first Irish Humanitarian Summit on 2 July in UCD, which was opened by President Michael D. Higgins. My Department took the initiative to instigate a consultation process with the Irish humanitarian community in response to the UN Secretary General's initiative to convene a World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May next year. It will address the challenges, and the suffering, posed by the unprecedented number of humanitarian crises across the world. The Irish Summit involved the public and private sectors, civil society and diaspora and academic communities in Ireland.
At the Summit, I underlined the Government's strong commitment to providing humanitarian aid that is neutral, independent, impartial and based on need. The outcomes of the Summit and the emerging recommendations from the ten-month consultations which preceded it will inform Ireland's engagement in the UN World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.
One of the key challenges is how to meet the needs of those living in and displaced by conflict. Nearly 60 million people are now displaced around the world, the highest number since World War II. Displacement caused by protracted conflict has a devastating impact on families who have had to flee their homes and communities. The Irish Naval Service, through the work of the L.É. Eithne has already made a huge contribution in rescuing thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean. We must also, of course, address the root causes of displacement. Ireland has strongly engaged in the EU to promote a political resolution to ongoing conflicts across the world. Through the Irish Aid programme, we are making a significant contribution to addressing the root causes of displacement in countries of origin, notably through our humanitarian and development assistance in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and other regions of Africa.
The demands on humanitarian funding have grown steeply in the past three years. While donor funding has increased, there are substantial gaps in the funding required. I am proud to say that in 2014 Ireland was in the top ten of donors per capita, in our provision of humanitarian assistance. A total of €85 million in Irish Aid funding was allocated for humanitarian crises in 2014. Through this funding, Ireland responded to emergencies in the Philippines, South Sudan, Syria, Central African Republic and to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. In keeping with Ireland's policy commitment to protracted and underfunded crises, significant support was directed to crises in Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia and Ethiopia. In addition, eight airlifts transported 269 tonnes of essential supplies to affected populations and 32 highly-skilled members of Ireland's Rapid Response Corps were deployed to work as surge capacity with Ireland's UN Stand-by Partners in a number of emergency response operations.
The Government is strongly committed to Ireland's overseas aid programme, which funds our humanitarian assistance, and has managed to stabilise the ODA budget despite the very difficult economic circumstances facing the country in recent years. I will be making the strongest case possible for the aid budget in the upcoming budgetary process.
