Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2016
260. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts he has undertaken in regard to the conflict in Syria and the humanitarian crisis there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38807/16]
View answerThe continuing conflict in Syria has generated the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world today.
The Government is strongly committed to responding to the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people. Since 2012, Ireland has provided more than €62 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region. This is Ireland’s largest response to any humanitarian crisis ever.
Of the €20 million in assistance provided by the Government 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 NGO, UN and International Red Cross and Red Crescent partners. These partners provide supplies and urgently-needed health, education, water and sanitation services, as well as implementing 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 additional capacity to UN agencies responding to migration challenges resulting from the Syrian conflict.
At a political level, both Minister Flanagan and I have focused on this crisis in discussions in recent months at the EU, UN, and with our civil society partners.
The crisis in Syria is a regular item on the agenda of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Minister Flanagan and his colleagues held extensive discussions with the UN Special Envoy de Mistura on 17 October, underlining continuing strong support for his work. The crisis was discussed again at the meeting of the Council on 14 November.
In September, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, visited Dublin and briefed Minister Flanagan on the EU’s Humanitarian Initiative for Aleppo. Minister Flanagan also had an opportunity to discuss the Syrian conflict with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on 30 October, and he addressed efforts to renew the political process during his recent trip to the Gulf, where he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia.
On 21 November, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, visited Dublin and provided us with an update on his organisation’s critical humanitarian work in Syria, which is strongly supported by Ireland.
I also met with the CEOs of Ireland’s 10 largest development NGOs in the last two weeks, many of whom receive funding from my Department to respond to the crisis in Syria, and assured them of our continued commitment.
We continue to monitor the situation in Syria very closely and are ready to provide further assistance to the Syrian people in the coming months.
