Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2017
89. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the detail of the recent announcement of €6 million in humanitarian assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25642/17]
View answerWe, and our EU partners, are very concerned about the long-standing humanitarian crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR), where insecurity, displacement and chronic vulnerability continue to cause great human suffering. Over seven million people in the DRC and 2.3 million people in CAR need humanitarian assistance. Just last week, a report was issued by the Norwegian Refugee Council which stated that in 2016, more people were newly displaced in the DRC than anywhere in the world, even Syria. Nonetheless, regrettably, these humanitarian crises are slipping from the international agenda and are severely underfunded.
Ireland has a clear focus on forgotten crises in our humanitarian response and we have maintained consistent support to the crises in CAR and DRC in recent years. Earlier this month, I approved an additional €6 million for these two crises. This funding has already been provided through contributions of €3 million each to UN managed DRC and CAR Humanitarian Funds. These funds allow donors to pool their contributions to support the humanitarian efforts of NGOs and UN agencies on the ground, who are best placed to respond. This ensures that the most urgent needs can be met quickly, be they for food, shelter, health or protection for the most vulnerable.
This 2017 allocation brings our total humanitarian assistance to DRC and CAR since 2012 to over €32 million and €25 million respectively. We will continue to keep these evolving crises under review. I expect that further funding for the crisis in the Central African Republic will be allocated in the coming weeks.
