Emer Higgins
Question:451. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way that the Irish embassy in Mozambique is delivering the Irish Aid programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13366/21]
View answerWednesday, 10 March 2021
Questions (451)
Written answers
The Government’s policy for international development, ‘A Better World’, launched in February 2019, commits to scaling Ireland’s investment across four policy priorities: gender equality; reducing humanitarian need; climate action and strengthening governance.
This policy was complemented, in November 2019, by the Government’s Strategy for Africa to 2025, which builds on Ireland’s long history of engagement in the continent and commits to working with African countries in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on reaching those furthest behind first. In May of 2020, an OECD review recognised the excellence of Irish Aid, Ireland’s international development programme, which helps Ireland play a leading role advocating for poverty reduction, channelling our assistance to where it is needed most.
Ireland has been delivering development and humanitarian assistance in Mozambique since 1996, after the country emerged from almost thirty years of civil war. Investments in development began from a very low base and today Mozambique remains one the world’s poorest countries, with access to basic services such as water, healthcare and education still challenging.
The Embassy of Ireland in Mozambique aims to make a distinctive and principled foreign policy contribution that includes managing the delivery of the Irish Aid programme. A key objective of the programme is to improve access to quality health and education services – both critical tasks as Mozambique faces the continuing spread of COVID-19.
Ireland’s Embassy is working at both political and technical levels in support of the Government of Mozambique’s COVID-19 response. In 2020, Ireland made an advance disbursement of funding for Mozambique’s health sector pooled fund, amounting to €8 million, and worked with the Ministry of Health to reprioritise donor expenditure in order to procure PPE and to support the recruitment of auxiliary health workers to provide surge capacity in the health system. Ireland’s support was critical in ensuring that front line staff were in place to manage the impacts of COVID-19 and that essential health services to the poor, particularly to women, children and vulnerable groups could continue.
Ireland’s support to the education sector in Mozambique was also adapted in 2020 in light of COVID-19. As all schools were closed in March, Ireland worked with the Ministry of Education to reprioritise expenditure to support an adapted learning environment, including the provision of virtual classes via television and radio platforms, while also supporting teacher training and preparations for the resumption of primary and secondary education.
Reducing humanitarian need is another key element of Ireland’s work. In March and April 2019, Cyclones Idai and Kenneth caused widespread devastation to infrastructure and crops, displaced 400,000 people from their homes, and left more than 2 million people in urgent humanitarian need. In response, Ireland provided just over €4 million to UN and NGO partners. These funds enabled the delivery of lifesaving food assistance, health care, and access to water, sanitation and hygiene to impacted families, and later, provided those displaced with supports to return to their homes. The Embassy’s partnerships with Government health, education, and disaster management agencies also contributed to an effective response to the outbreak of cholera following the cyclones, the rehabilitation of schools and hospitals using climate-resilient construction techniques, and to overall coordination of emergency response efforts.
In northern Mozambique, where a violent insurgency has been underway since 2017, Ireland is at the forefront of humanitarian response efforts to meet the needs of more than 660,000 people displaced from their homes by violence, and more than 950,000 facing emergency levels of food insecurity. In 2020, Ireland provided €4.8 million euro to UN, NGO and Red Cross partners working to meet humanitarian needs. This included €2.2 million to the World Food Programme in support of its efforts to provide emergency food assistance to those displaced, and €700,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross for work to uphold humanitarian law in conflict-affected areas, to support victims of violence, and to provide those displaced with access to health services, water and sanitation.