Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021
396. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has engaged with his counterparts in the European Union regarding the ongoing war in Yemen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24398/21]
View answerYemen is the world's worst humanitarian crisis driven by seven years of conflict, economic collapse and the breakdown of public institutions and services which has left over 24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Ireland and the European Union fully support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, to bring about a political resolution to the conflict in Yemen. Ireland is maintaining a very high level of engagement on Yemen with key parties in the region, including recent discussions I have held with the UN Special Envoy, the Foreign Ministers of Yemen and Iran, and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia.
The EU continues its active diplomatic outreach to relevant actors in support of the efforts of the Special Envoy. In January the Irish Ambassador to Yemen who is based in Riyadh, visited Yemen along with other EU Ambassador’s and met with political leaders, UN agencies and NGO’s. In addition to significant diplomatic efforts, the EU has provided nearly 1 billion Euro to Yemen since 2015 in development, crisis response and humanitarian assistance.
Ireland will continue to support all efforts to end the terrible conflict in Yemen, including in the context of our position on the UN Security Council and as an EU Member State.
