Written Answers Nos. 130-139
130. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to indicate whether against the background of numerous wars, invasions, aggressions, in the course of any recent discussions he has had with other prime ministers/heads of state at European or the wider level, the possibility was explored as to how these situations might be diffused in the early stages rather than ongoing possibilities for warfare. [4297/24]
View answerI regularly engage with leaders at the EU, UN and in our bilateral relationships, to ensure a sustained focus on addressing the root causes of conflict and deescalating tensions to avoid the outbreak of conflict. Tackling the root causes of conflict – such as poor governance and inequitable development – is key in order to prevent violence from occurring or escalating and to promote lasting peace. Ireland works to prevent conflict through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and our international development policy. This includes working towards the eradication of hunger and poverty, increasing access to social protection, education and healthcare, strengthening democracies and empowering women and youth.
A focus on conflict prevention and deescalation forms the core rationale for the recent establishment of a Peace and Stability Unit within my Department, which aims to bring Ireland’s development, humanitarian, diplomatic and political work together to support peacebuilding.
A key element of this work is our strong and enduring commitment to effective multilateralism. Our membership of the European Union and the United Nations is critical to maximising our impact on reducing conflict and fragility.
At EU level, Ireland is an active participant and contributor to the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, which works globally to support the preservation of peace, the prevention of conflicts and the strengthening of international security. Ireland maintains a sustained focus on conflict prevention and peacebuilding within the EU’s security and defence agenda.
At UN level, Ireland promotes greater investment in methods to prevent conflict and fully supports the United Nations Secretary General’s “New Agenda for Peace”, which calls for renewed focus on and investment in conflict prevention.
Ireland is proud to be among the top donors to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, and welcomed the decision to partially fund the Peacebuilding Fund through assessed contributions to the UN, a milestone for which we had strongly advocated.
Ireland will remain committed to supporting all EU and UN efforts to build safer, more peaceful and more resilient societies.
131. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which ongoing discussions with the parties in Northern Ireland are afoot, with particular reference to the need to ensure the ongoing workability of the Good Friday Agreement. [7790/24]
View answerThe restoration of Northern Ireland’s Assembly and Executive, which by extension permits the full functioning of the North South Ministerial Council, is very welcome. Our collective focus now must be to ensure that the restoration is sustainable and stable. The people of Northern Ireland deserve and are entitled to functioning institutions.
As a guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government is committed to working with our partners across these islands for the full and effective operation of the all three strands of the Agreement. We are firmly committed to engaging in good faith with all parties and traditions to this end. As part of our continued outreach, the Taoiseach and I have been in regular contact with the main Northern Ireland parties, the Executive and our British Government counterparts. I am also pleased that members of Cabinet have been meeting with their Executive counterparts. In these contacts, Government members have conveyed our readiness to engage constructively with all partners to maximise the tangible opportunities of North-South and East-West cooperation.
I look forward to the North South Ministerial Council plenary in early April and the upcoming British-Irish Council Summit in June. These fora provide opportunities for increased dialogue and practical cooperation on areas of mutual interest across a range of sectors and current challenges.
With the Executive and Assembly in place, there is an opportunity for a meaningful conversation about reform, structured in a way that respects the fundamental balances of the Good Friday Agreement, while allowing its institutions to adapt and evolve in sensible and equitable ways which ensure the stability and sustainability of the institutions into the future. I recently set out some of my thoughts on this important issue during a speech at the Alliance party conference, on 4 March.
132. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will set out his views on the escalating security crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo; the reason for the withdrawal after a 25-year presence of UN Peacekeepers, MONUSCO, from the DRC; if adequate protection will remain in place for the civilian population of the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11214/24]
View answerThe Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has experienced periodic conflict over many decades, with increasing insecurity and violence in eastern DRC. Elections were held in December 2023, in the context of a ceasefire that largely held, and President Félix Tshisekedi was re-elected. However, tensions between the DRC and Rwanda have increased since then and remain high.
Ireland and our EU partners have expressed serious concern at these developments, encluding in an EU statement on 4 March. The statement underlined our extreme concern at the escalation of violence in the east of the DRC and the worsening of the humanitarian situation, exposing millions of people to human rights abuses including displacement, deprivation, and gender based violence. Earlier Ireland worked with our EU partners on the development of a new EU strategy for the wider Great Lakes region, which was adopted in 2023, with a particular focus on the eastern provinces of the DRC.
We fully support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries in the region and condemn any support to local or foreign armed groups. Ireland has also emphasised the importance of the engagement of national and regional organisations in promoting peace and stability.
The UN Security Council in December 2023 extended for one year the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and set out a comprehensive disengagement plan that includes the gradual handover of responsibility to the DRC government, while maintaining the Mission’s key responsibility to protect civilians during its gradual withdrawal. In August 2022, following the receipt of military advice, the Minister for Defence took the decision to withdraw the three Irish Defence Forces personnel serving with MONUSCO.
27 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in DRC, with 6.9 million people internally displaced, while over a million refugees from the DRC are in neighbouring countries. The DRC itself hosts more than half a million refugees.
Ireland directly provided over €8 million in assistance to DRC in 2023. Over €4.6 million was allocated to long-term development and humanitarian programmes under Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership Programme, with five partners (Christian Aid Ireland, Concern Worldwide, Oxfam Ireland, Trócaire and World Vision Ireland) operating in DRC. In addition, we provided €3.8 million to UNICEF to address child malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, earmarked for DRC.
133. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he supports the campaign by more than 50 journalists calling on Israel and Egypt to provide free and unfettered access to Gaza for all foreign media; the steps he will take to achieve this important objective; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11216/24]
View answerWe have seen throughout this conflict the vital role played by media, both domestic and international, in ensuring public scrutiny of actions taken by combatants. It is vital in my view that journalists are permitted sufficient access to allow for effective reporting.
Ireland is strongly committed to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression. As well as constituting an important human right, freedom of expression is an essential component of a healthy democracy. Ensuring the safety of journalists is central to this right, and it is important that steps are taken to ensure that journalists are afforded adequate protections, including in conflict zones.
Journalists have an important role in bringing us the truth, but they can only do this is they are able to access the areas they need to report on. They are protected as civilians under international humanitarian law and they must never be targeted. It is utterly shocking that of the 99 journalists killed worldwide in 2023, 72 were Palestinians in Gaza killed after 7 October. Gaza seems to have become the most dangerous place in the world to be a journalist.
Internationally, Ireland is active in a wide variety of fora on this issue. In May 2022, Ireland was proactive in shining a light on the protection of journalists in response to the killing of the Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin in the West Bank. Ireland convened an informal Security Council meeting just a few days after she was killed, at which the Security Council was briefed by her employer AL Jazeera, and by the Committee to Project Journalists, among others. Ireland is also a member of the Media Freedom Coalition and the UN Group of Friends for the Projection of Journalists.
134. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to set out the actions he has taken to protest to Russia on foot of the death in custody of Alexei Navalny; if he believes that the number of persons accredited to the Russian Embassy in Dublin are appropriate for a country of Ireland's size; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11217/24]
View answerI was appalled at Mr. Navalny’s death, which further underpins the lack of respect for the rule of law and the protection of human rights in Russia. There must be a full and transparent international investigation into the circumstances of his death.
My EU counterparts and I met with Yulia Navalnaya at the Foreign Affairs Council on 19 February, when we discussed the circumstances surrounding his death, and the EU’s response. In a statement following the Council, the EU confirmed it will keep its sanctions under review, including in response to the death of Mr. Navalny. Ireland will support any further EU sanctions targeted specifically at those directly responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death.
As part of Ireland’s response to Mr Navalny’s death, the Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, summoned the Russian Ambassador on 20 February. The Secretary General expressed the Government’s shock on behalf of the Government at the death of Mr. Navalny. He made clear that the circumstances of Mr. Navalny’s death raise further questions around respect for the rule of law in Russia, and reiterated the EU’s call for an independent and transparent international investigation into circumstances of his sudden death.
Ireland had consistently called for the release of Mr Navalny following his arrest and has associated itself with a number of EU statements condemning his conviction and imprisonment for carrying out legitimate political activities. The Irish Ambassador to Russia, along with a number of his EU counterparts, attended Mr Navalny’s funeral on Friday 1 March, to pay his respects on behalf of Ireland.
Regarding staffing at the Russian Embassy in Dublin, prior to the invasion of Ukraine, there were a total of 30 staff at the Russian Embassy: 14 diplomats and 16 Administrative and Technical staff. That number has now halved.
135. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when funding applications under the global Irish festival series will be made available to local authorities and other relevant bodies (details supplied). [11242/24]
View answerI want, first of all, to thank the Deputy for his interest and for his positive comments about the Global Irish Festival Series.
The Global Irish Festival Series (GIFS) is a biannual diaspora-focused joint initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Fáilte Ireland, which is delivered by local authorities.
The scheme aims to encourage Irish people living abroad to return home to visit Ireland and provides funding and support, through local authorities, for events that tap into international diaspora networks.
The GIFS is administered by Fáilte Ireland, in consultation with the Irish Abroad Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs, with local authorities being invited to submit detailed expressions of interest which are then evaluated by representatives of both organisations.
The series began on a pilot basis, with Limerick and Donegal participating in the 2018-19 cycle; Kerry, Mayo, Donegal and Limerick participated in the 2022-23 cycle; and following completion of the 2023 application process, Kerry and Mayo have been invited to participate in the 2023-24 cycle.
On the conclusion of the 2023-24 cycle later this year, following review and pending budget approval, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Fáilte Ireland plan to begin consultations on the 2025-26 cycle. I would very much like to see other local authorities getting involved in the 2025-26 cycle and any who are interested could, in the first instance, contact Ms. Eibhlís Maher, Fáilte Ireland Festivals and Events Officer eibhlis.maher@failteireland.ie.
136. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will support that an allegation made by a person (details supplied), the Attorney-General of the Irish State, in his presentation to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, is withdrawn or a statement of correction issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11252/24]
View answerOn 22 February, the Attorney General appeared before the International Court of Justice in the advisory opinion case on Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, to make an oral statement on behalf of Ireland to the Court. This built on the written statement that Ireland submitted to the Court last July. Ireland’s statements to the Court concluded that Israel has breached international law in a number of ways.
In the details supplied with this Parliamentary Question, the Deputy has asked whether I support the statement made by the Attorney, referring to the opening paragraph where the Attorney set out the context in which the International Court of Justice public hearings were held, as follows:
The backdrop to this hearing is a matter of profound concern to the Irish Government. The attacks launched by Hamas against Israel on 7 October were reprehensible and we have condemned them unequivocally. The rape and murder of civilians, destruction of civilian property, taking of hostages, use of human shields and firing of indiscriminate rockets at urban centres constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law for which those involved must be held accountable.
Specifically, the Deputy asks whether I support the reference in this paragraph to the rape of civilians during the attacks on 7 October by Hamas against Israel.
The Government stands fully behind the statement made by the Attorney at the International Court of Justice. Reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas on and since 7 October have caused widespread shock and revulsion. These and other reports were the subject of the inquiry of Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the findings of which were published on 4 March. The Special Representative concluded that there are ‘reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence took place, including rape and gang rape’ during the attack of 7 October. She also found that there is ‘clear and convincing information’ that some hostages have been subjected to ‘various forms of conflict-related sexual violence including rape and sexualized torture and sexualized cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment’, which may be ongoing.
The Government has been consistent in calling for accountability for all violations of international criminal law during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A just and lasting peace can only be ensured by a solution that respects the rights of all people.
137. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline his recent engagement with the British government in relation to the re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive. [5277/24]
View answerThe restoration of the Assembly and Executive is a positive opportunity for a new beginning for politics in Northern Ireland and to address the challenges that the people of Northern Ireland face in their daily lives. I have been clear that the return of Northern Ireland's political institutions, and by extension, the return to full operation of the North South Ministerial Council, was a necessary and overdue step forward.
The absence of functioning political institutions over the past two years has had real and detrimental effects on people's lives. It is a very welcome development that local leadership is now in place to help address the challenges faced, inject momentum into civic life and rebuild a sense of hope for the future.
The Government is in close and ongoing contact with the British government and the Northern Ireland Executive to do everything possible to keep politics in Northern Ireland on a sustainable and stable footing.
As co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, the two governments have a duty to see it operate as effectively as possible across all three strands. A visible partnership approach between the two governments is vital in the period ahead to sustain and assist the current political stability and its knock-on effects on the people of Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement.
In recent discussions with our British counterparts, the Taoiseach and I have underlined the importance of ensuring all strands of the Good Friday Agreement are functioning fully and to the benefit of all. The Taoiseach travelled to Belfast on 5 February and met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. I visited London on 13 December for a bilateral meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, my first meeting with the British Foreign Secretary since his appointment in November 2023. I meet regularly with Secretary of State Heaton-Harris, including during meetings in Dublin of the British-Irish Council on 24 November and the British Irish Inter-Governmental Conference on 28 November. I remain in regular contact with Northern Ireland party leaders.
East-West and North-South Co-operation is essential to achieving the vision of the Good Friday Agreement and to maximising the opportunities facing the island of Ireland. I look forward to an early meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, after more than two years in abeyance.
The revival of regular NSMC meetings will means that this Government and the Executive can continue to have the important conversations necessary to address shared challenges and to generate opportunities for increased practical cooperation. The Government is ready to engage constructively with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive in areas where North-South co-operation makes a positive difference. There remains significant potential for collaboration, including education and research, tourism and driving additional foreign direct investment. North-South cooperation and the all-island economy are important to business and will deliver for the collective benefit of citizens across our shared island.
I also look forward to the next meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, and the next British–Irish Council Summit, which will be hosted by the Isle of Man and is due to take place in June. In the meantime, we look forward to continuing to work with the British government and Northern Ireland Executive on a range of shared issues to the benefit of all citizens.
138. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which positive steps continue to be taken to influence the future of Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11507/24]
View answerThe Future of Europe continues to be a priority issue within the European Union. The Conference on the Future of Europe was an initiative aimed at promoting greater citizen involvement in the EU via a wide-ranging series of Plenaries and citizen panel events held throughout the 27 Member States during 2021 and 2022. The final Conference report, outlining 49 proposals, was adopted on 9 May 2022. A progress report from the General Secretariat of the Council released in December 2023 demonstrated that the vast majority of measures are already in train.
There has been an increasing focus on the Future of Europe in light of the changed strategic context arising from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, with the discussion evolving to include Enlargement of the Union and changes in decision-making processes within the EU. Ireland is a strong supporter of EU Enlargement and has been active in this discussion, including through becoming an Observer Member of the Group of Friends on QMV in the EU CFSP. I believe that reflections on absorption capacity and possible policy or institutional changes are both necessary and should facilitate rather than impede the overall Enlargement process. While recognising the need to consider the challenges of Enlargement, this debate should not obscure its many benefits, both principled and practical.
The issue of preparing the European Union for future Enlargement will also figure heavily in preparation of the next Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, setting out the EU’s overarching priorities for the next five years, which is due to be agreed at the June European Council. Ireland agrees that Enlargement and Reform should be a major priority for the EU in the coming years, alongside continued support for Ukraine, improving competitiveness and strengthening the Single Market, and upholding Rule of Law and our fundamental values.
139. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the degree to which the international community continues to monitor the activities of Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab with reference to the areas they continue to be most active; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11508/24]
View answerIreland strongly condemns the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and AlS habaab. We support European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and other international efforts to reduce the influence of Boko Haram and al-Shabaab, and to prevent their attacks, especially against civilians. Ireland continues to monitor the activities of these groups and to assist populations affected by their actions.
Since 2015, we have provided over €37 million in bilateral assistance for the Lake Chad region, where Boko Haram is active. This includes funding to Concern Worldwide, Goal, and Plan International Ireland, as well as to the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 2023, Ireland’s funding included €1 million for the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund, which provides assistance to communities affected by the conflict in the north east of the country.
Ireland is also contributing directly to peace and security efforts, as a member of the International Support Group of the Regional Stabilisation Strategy for the Lake Chad Basin, and at the Sahel Alliance. Both are forums which enable donors to coordinate support in addressing the challenges in Boko Haram-affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin.
Ireland continues to engage on Somalia, where Al Shabaab is active. Since 2018, we have provided over €40 million in humanitarian funding to Somalia, including over €6 million in 2023, primarily through UN partners and Irish non-governmental organisations on the ground. In the same period we provided over €7.4 million to development partners working on community resilience and peace and stability. Ireland also deploys personnel to EUCAP Somalia, one of the three EU Common Security and Defence Policy Missions in the Horn of Africa.
