Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 January 2017
178. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community has responded to the various natural disasters over the past five years such as earthquakes and tsunami; if all commitments entered into initially have been honoured in respect of locations such as Haiti; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3520/17]
View answerIreland provided over €150 million in humanitarian assistance in 2016, focused on where needs are greatest, in countries affected by conflict or devastation caused by natural disasters. In 2017, the UN estimates that 92.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, with over 65 million people displaced by conflict worldwide.
Ireland’s humanitarian response is channeled through UN, Red Cross or NGO partners who are best placed to respond. Ireland is the eighth largest donor to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund. It enables UN agencies to swiftly allocate funds to sudden crises, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, in order to kick start emergency responses. Ireland also supports the European Commission’s relief efforts through our EU budget allocation.
Ireland has responded swiftly and effectively in recent years to devastating natural disasters. Ireland was one of the first countries to respond to Typhoon Haiyan, which hit central Philippines in November 2013. More than US$865 million was contributed by the international community, including €40 million from the European Commission. Ireland provided €7.1 million.
More recently, Ireland responded to the earthquake in Nepal in 2015, allocating €1.65 million to NGO partners and distributing 100 tonnes of emergency supplies. In total, the international community contributed over $533.8 million, exceeding the UN appeal of $421 million. This included €22.6 million from the European Commission.
Ireland provided a total of €25.9 million in humanitarian and development funding for Haiti between 2010 and 2016. This includes over €2 million in response to Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and nearly €14 million in assistance following the Haiti earthquake in 2010. The European Commission has provided a total of €273 million since 2010 to assist victims of the earthquake.
Significant progress has been made in recent years to improve the scale and effectiveness of the international community’s response to major disasters and humanitarian crises. Lessons learnt from previous crises such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake have informed the improvement of systems under the leadership of the UN, to ensure the most effective, efficient and rapid delivery of aid possible.
