Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 December 2023
99. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent engagements with the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; his engagements with regard to the ongoing civil strife and humanitarian situation in the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54733/23]
View answerI remain gravely concerned by the situation in Myanmar and wish to reiterate my strong condemnation of the February 2021 coup and the resulting violence.
Neither I nor representatives of the Irish Government have held bilateral meetings or engagements with the military authorities. Coherent with a common EU position, neither I nor my Department undertake actions that would serve to confer the appearance of legitimacy onto the military junta. Ireland’s practice is to recognise states and not governments.
Ireland has repeatedly condemned the coup carried out by the Myanmar military and called for the restoration of legitimate, civilian government. Ireland remains actively engaged on the crisis. My Department has met with representatives of the National Unity Government at official level. Officials in my Department also regularly engage with civil society organisations.
Ireland also raises the crisis in multilateral fora. Most recently, Ireland made a statement at the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee, condemning the military, drawing attention to the dire human rights and humanitarian situations, and expressing support for relevant accountability mechanisms including the International Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. We have actively engaged in negotiations for the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.
In July 2023, the EU imposed a seventh round of sanctions against individuals and entities in Myanmar, a measure supported by Ireland. Ireland fully supports action against perpetrators of the coup as well as those who sustain them, and welcomes consideration of further measures that would be effective in working to restore the democratic path.
In 2023, Ireland's total humanitarian funding to Myanmar and to the Rohingya crisis was almost €2.4 million, including grants to civil society organisations and annual payments of €500,000 and €1 million respectively to the Myanmar Humanitarian Fund and the UN Refugee Agency to address the Rohingya crisis. Ireland's total pledge to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) reached €16 million in 2023. CERF is a major donor to Myanmar, with a further $7 million being pledged to Myanmar on 5 December 2023.
