Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
115. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for an update on the current Irish Aid provided to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs work in Palestine; how this aid is used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48035/23]
View answerOn 18 October, following a discussion I had with the Commissioner General of UNRWA on October 16th, I announced additional core funding of €10 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. The Agency provides essential services to 5.7 million Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Even before the current conflict 80% of the population of Gaza was dependent on support from UNRWA for basic essential services. I also announced an additional €3 million for the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs’ (UN OCHA) Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Fund. This additional €13 million brings Ireland’s support to the Palestinian people to €29 million so far in 2023.
Ireland is a long-standing supporter of the critical work of UNRWA with and on behalf of Palestinian refugees, and we remain firmly committed in our political and financial support to the Agency. In March 2021, Ireland signed a 3-year MoU with UNRWA with an annual base contribution of €6 million per year. In line with this agreement, we provided €6 million to UNRWA in March 2023, followed by an additional €2 million in June in response to funding appeals.
In the current unprecedented crisis, UNRWA staff are providing support to over 629,000 displaced persons taking shelter at 150 UNRWA facilities. This includes access to health, water and relief. The Agency’s staff are at present running the remaining 8 out of 22 UNRWA healthcare centres still operational in Middle Area, Khan Younis and Rafah, where they provide basic health care and psycho-social support.
UNWRA’s Commissioner General stated on 30 October that 63 UNWRA staff have so far been killed in Gaza since 7 October. Civilians and aid workers should never be targets in war.
The additional €3 million provided to UN OCHA will support the humanitarian response to the ongoing devastating conflict. It will be used to urgently address the escalating humanitarian needs by enabling rapid deployment of aid, particularly in life-saving sectors that have been hit hardest, including health, shelter, water, sanitation, food security and protection.
