Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2017
69. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagement his Department has had with India and Pakistan regarding the status and humanitarian situation in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25645/17]
View answerIreland is monitoring this situation via our Embassy in New Delhi and our Embassy in Ankara, which is accredited to Pakistan. Irish officials discuss India-Pakistan relations with their counterparts from those countries on a regular basis.
The EU, including of course Ireland, continues to support the reconciliation process between India and Pakistan over Kashmir with a view to finding a lasting resolution to the situation, particularly through dialogue, and by involving as far as possible the Kashmiri people in this process. The EU also advocates for accountability of armed forces responsible for abuses against civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan are important friends of the EU: India and the EU formed a Strategic Partnership in 2004, and Pakistan and the EU agreed a five Year Engagement Plan in 2012.
The EU Missions in New Delhi maintain an ongoing comprehensive discussion on India-Pakistan relations, including the situation in Kashmir, which resulted in a detailed report with recommendations earlier this year. While the EU is committed to working to improve the climate between the two countries, it was agreed that the EU should assess the political and human rights situation in Kashmir separately from India-Pakistan relations and cross-border terrorism.
No humanitarian funding has been provided directly by Ireland to programmes responding specifically to Kashmir, however broader humanitarian funding has been provided to both India and Pakistan. For example, in 2016 the Start Fund allocated €816,000 to NGOs to address the humanitarian impact of extreme weather events in India. Irish Aid is one of three donors to the Start Fund along with the UK and the Netherlands. In Pakistan, this year the Irish Government has allocated €400,000 to Trócaire to support communities who have returned to their homes after being displaced by the earthquake which struck near the border with Afghanistan in October 2015.
The EU and UN also contribute humanitarian aid to this region. In 2015 €3.4 million was allocated by the EU Commission to provide psycho-social support and livelihood means to people affected by conflict in Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states, as well as health and protection services to communities in remote settlements in Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
Ireland is also the eighth largest donor (over US$179 million in total) to the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund, which has provided over US$193 million (in the 2006-2017 period) to support humanitarian organisations working to assist vulnerable and crises affected communities in Pakistan.
