Vol. 562 No. 5
168 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the matters discussed and conclusions reached at the meeting between his Minister of State and Mr. Poul Neilson, the EU Commissioner with responsibility for development; if the deteriorating situation in the Horn of Africa was discussed; if there was an agreement to increase either EU or Irish aid to the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6454/03]
193 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the recent survey undertaken by Concern which found frightening levels of malnutrition in Ethiopia and Eritrea; if the Government has plans to increase aid to the Horn of Africa region in view of the serious threat of famine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6452/03]
195 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the actions taken by the Government in relation to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. [6536/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 168, 193 and 195 together.
The food security crisis in the Horn of Africa is of deep concern to the Government. The surveys undertaken by Concern, as well as information made available by the Embassy of Ireland in Addis Ababa and others, have informed the actions of the Government. Ireland Aid has moved rapidly to respond to the needs of the region since the crisis began last year. Emergency and humanitarian assistance provided by the Government for the region amounts to €9 million.
Last month the Minister of State with responsibility for Development Cooperation and Human Rights, Deputy Tom Kitt, visited Ethiopia to view and assess the impact that the prolonged drought is having on the country. During the visit he held discussions with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles as well as other Ministers. He also met people from key development sectors such as the UN World Food Programme, the EU Commission and representatives of the NGO community. Discussions were held on ways of effectively mobilising resources for the more than 11 million people who will require food assistance in the coming months.
On foot of the visit Deputy Kitt wrote to his EU counterparts to call for a redoubling of efforts to tackle this crisis. The key message is that there is still time to save millions of lives if action is taken quickly. This message applies particularly to those countries that have not yet responded to the emergency appeals.
On 18 January the Minister of State announced that, in the light of his visit to Ethiopia, he would make a new package of €1.25 million immediately available for food and other essential needs for the people of Ethiopia. The package comes on top of some €2.4 million already provided by the Government for emergency relief in Ethiopia since the food crisis began last year.
Ireland's emergency assistance will be integrated closely with our long-term development activities in Ethiopia and thus address the underlying causes of drought and hunger.
