Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 October 2016
346. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his EU colleagues are engaged in addressing the humanitarian issues arising from the civil war in Syria; if any change in the methodology for addressing the issues by the EU is envisaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32084/16]
View answerThe conflict in Syria is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our generation. Since 2012, Ireland has provided a total of €62 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region. At present, it is Ireland's largest response to any humanitarian crisis.
Of the €20 million in funding provided by Ireland so far in 2016, €14 million has been delivered through the Irish Aid programme, managed by my Department, and €6 million through the Department of Agriculture's support to the World Food Programme's Syria response.
Irish Aid funding seeks to meet the needs of those inside Syria, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, and those who have fled to neighbouring countries. Funding is channelled through partners, including NGOs, UN organisations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, those who are best placed to respond. These partners provide humanitarian supplies and urgently-needed health, education, water and sanitation services, as well as measures to protect children and vulnerable families. In addition, members of Ireland's Rapid Response Corps have been deployed to the Balkans and Middle East, providing much-needed surge capacity to UN agencies responding to migration challenges resulting from the Syrian conflict.
Through our annual contributions to EU Institutions, Ireland also supports the EU's humanitarian response in Syria. The EU is a leading donor in the international response to the Syrian crisis, and has pledged to contribute €445 million in humanitarian assistance in 2016. The EU's funding inside Syria is focused on providing medical emergency relief, protection, food and nutritional assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, health, and logistics services to civilians in need. Beyond the Syrian border, EU funding ensures that people fleeing the country will receive life-saving assistance such as health, food, shelter, water and sanitation services, and protection.
When I met with Commissioner Christos Stylianides, the European Commissioner with responsibility for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, in Dublin last month I was assured that EU officials are in daily contact with humanitarian partners on the ground, monitoring the situation as it develops and coordinating humanitarian activities with key partners and EU Member States. The Commissioner emphasised that the situation in Syria remains very unpredictable, underlining the need for humanitarian partners to remain engaged, and to ensure that humanitarian assistance can enable partners to respond quickly and appropriately to needs as they arise.
I discussed with the Commissioner the EU's new Humanitarian Initiative for Aleppo, which was launched in rapid response to the recent and disturbing escalation of the conflict in Aleppo. This joint EU-UN initiative includes two main elements: firstly, to facilitate the urgent delivery of basic life-saving assistance to civilians in eastern Aleppo; and secondly, to ensure the medical evacuations of wounded and sick, with a focus on women, children and the elderly.
Ireland and our EU partners will continue to monitor the situation closely, and given its complexity and severity, I would expect that Ireland will provide additional support for people affected by the crisis in the coming months.
