Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 February 2024
58. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his engagements with his European counterparts with regard to the ongoing civil strife in Myanmar; efforts to relieve the humanitarian situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6959/24]
View answerI remain deeply concerned by the ongoing crisis in Myanmar and wish to reiterate in the strongest terms my condemnation of the February 2021 coup. I am appalled by the escalation in violence, the displacement of large numbers of people and the dire humanitarian and human rights situation. Together with our EU partners, Ireland continues to call for the restoration of legitimate, civilian government.
The EU has also repeatedly condemned this military coup, including on 1 February 2024, the third anniversary of the coup, when an EU statement was issued by High Representative Borrell. My officials engaged actively in the drafting of this statement.
As the sub-regional organisation for South East Asia, ASEAN is a key interlocutor for addressing the crisis in Myanmar. Myanmar was discussed during the EU-ASEAN Joint Ministerial Meeting on 2 February which Minister of State Fleming attended. At this meeting, a Joint Ministerial Statement was agreed, condemning the continued violence, calling for increased humanitarian access, and noting the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus as the main avenue to address the political crisis.
On 11 December 2023, the EU adopted the eighth sanctions package on Myanmar since the coup in 2021. 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.
Ireland and the EU provide significant humanitarian funding to Myanmar and to the Rohingya crisis. In 2023, Irish funding for these crises totalled nearly €2.4 million which included grants to both civil society organisations and UN agencies. In 2024, Ireland will continue to provide support to the people of Myanmar, including through increased sums of €1 million to the UN Myanmar Humanitarian Fund and €1.5 million to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Through Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership (ICSP) Chronic Humanitarian Funding Crises Stream 2, almost €790,000 will be provided to Trócaire and Christian Aid Ireland for their humanitarian programmes in Myanmar in 2024.
On 31 January 2024, the EU announced an initial humanitarian allocation for Myanmar for 2024 of €19.2 million. This is the highest initial allocation since the EU began providing humanitarian assistance to Myanmar. In 2023, the initial allocation was €17.3 million, with total financing by the end of 2023 reaching almost €33 million.
