Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
757. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if humanitarian assistance given to Ukraine is additional to the €1.044 billion allocated to official development assistance in budget 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20282/22]
View answerIn its review of Ireland’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) published in 2020, the OECD found Ireland to be an excellent humanitarian partner, with a large share of ODA going to fragile contexts. That report highlighted how Ireland uses diplomatic, development and humanitarian tools, aligned with flexible funding models to deliver results. It is this combined model which is being used to deliver Ireland’s response to those most affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
As part of the diplomatic response to the invasion, Ireland has been at the forefront of EU efforts and those across the UN system to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As an elected member of the UN Security Council, Ireland has called for Russia’s immediate withdrawal of troops from the entire territory of Ukraine, and demanded that the Russian Federation uphold its obligations under international law.
Minister Coveney visited Kyiv on 14 April, where he met with members of Ukraine’s government and visited the town of Bucha where a number of mass graves have been discovered. Following this visit the Minister addressed the UN Security Council on 19 April, calling for an immediate halt to Russian aggression, highlighting the devastating humanitarian toll on Ukraine’s people, and calling for full accountability for the perpetrators of crimes as a result of Russia’s invasion.
The Irish Aid humanitarian response has been most particularly focused on those who remain in Ukraine or in neighbouring countries, such as Moldova. This has so far been financed from within the 2022 ODA budget allocation, itself substantially increased on the 2021 allocation, and which each year responds to unanticipated humanitarian crises. Prepositioned Irish Aid funds with key UN agencies, and the ICRC, meant that those organisations were able to respond on the ground in Ukraine immediately. To this, an additional dedicated €20 million Irish Aid humanitarian package, from within existing ODA but new funding to Ukraine, is responding to the humanitarian response in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Other Irish Aid assistance is also being explored. Ireland also joined a group of more than 40 States in referring the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court and will provide additional funding of €3 million to the ICC to assist in the investigation of the situation in Ukraine, along with other situations before the court.
This funding complements the generous contributions made by so many citizens to Irish and other humanitarian organisations who are responding to the needs of those affected by the conflict: many of these organisations receive core funding from Irish Aid. In addition, I have activated the Rapid Response Register, with experts from the Register deploying to UN partners in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
OECD rules allow that some elements of the first year costs arising from accommodating refugees in Ireland can be counted as ODA, with the statistical base for those coming from Ukraine yet to finalised. The determination is made in arrears but is likely to exceed Budget Day estimations for this portion of ODA.
Conscious of wider global humanitarian need, itself being affected by the invasion of Ukraine and its impact, for example, on world food prices, Irish Aid continues to respond generously to those most impacted by other crises, including Syria, Yemen and Somalia.
