Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 September 2021
319. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the humanitarian assistance Ireland will provide to the people of Afghanistan; the timeline for its roll-out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44568/21]
View answerI represented Ireland at the 13 September High Level Meeting on Afghanistan called by the UN Secretary General. The purpose of that meeting was to raise awareness and support for the deteriorating humanitarian situation there.
I set out Ireland’s response to date and our intention to continue to support evolving needs, noting that Ireland has so far this year provided €2 million to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan . This includes funding to Concern Worldwide; to the UN managed Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund; HALO Trust; and €1 million to UNHCR. In addition, Ireland has contributed to the international response through our core funding to UN agencies, to the START Fund and to joint mechanisms such as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). We are a top ten donor to the CERF, with an annual contribution of €10 million per year. The CERF has allocated over €21 million in 2021 to Afghanistan. As an EU Member State and a Team Europe partner, Ireland is also part of the EU's €300 million humanitarian response to the crisis, announced this month.
My officials are currently in the process of reviewing options for early further funding to respond to the Afghanistan crisis, including through the UN Flash Appeal as well other humanitarian partners.
