Trevor Sargent
Ceist:88 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the Irish, EU and UN relief effort following the earthquake in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39316/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 14 December 2005
Ceisteanna (95)
Freagraí scríofa
It is estimated that over 73,000 people in northern Pakistan lost their lives in the earthquake which struck south Asia on 8 October 2005. The earthquake severely affected the North West Frontier and Kashmir provinces of Pakistan, causing widespread structural damage and leaving an estimated 3.5 million people homeless.
Within hours of the disaster the Government pledged €1 million in humanitarian relief assistance. This funding was quickly increased to €5 million when the scale of the destruction became apparent. The moneys were quickly dispersed to United Nations agencies, the Red Cross family and non-governmental organisations, NGOs, which are providing life saving humanitarian assistance in the region.
Former Taoiseach, Mr. Albert Reynolds, represented Ireland at a donor conference convened by the Government of Pakistan on 19 November. Mr. Reynolds presented the report of his findings from that visit to me on Thursday last. I travelled to the affected region last weekend on a joint visit with my Dutch colleague. I met with the Pakistan authorities, the United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator for the relief effort, the Red Cross and Irish NGOs working in the region. I saw first hand the devastation caused by the earthquake and the logistical challenges facing the relief and recovery effort. Immediate relief priorities are shelter, food, health services and the logistical support to deliver these services. Ireland has now pledged an additional €5 million to the relief and recovery effort. This brings to €10 million the funds made available by the Government and places Ireland as one of the highest donors per capita to this disaster.
The Department remains in close contact with the UN which, with the Government of Pakistan, is leading the relief effort. Key UN agencies, such as the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, UNICEF and the World Food Programme, WFP, are working closely with the Red Cross and NGOs to provide urgently needed temporary shelters, food, medical care and water and sanitation services to the affected populations. They are also working to restore public services and, in particular, school services, which are crucial in bringing normality back to the lives of children affected by the disaster and their families. The UN in its flash appeal for the disaster has costed the emergency relief effort at US$550 million. This appeal remains underfunded.
The European Commission has agreed a €93.6 million package of aid, of which €43.6 million has been allocated to the immediate humanitarian effort and a further €50 million for reconstruction. As the affected communities move from emergency relief to recovery, we will continue to monitor the situation on the ground to ensure that Irish assistance is being spent to best effect.