Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 September 2017
186. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps being taken to assist the people of Yemen, particularly in view of the number of deaths of children due to malnutrition and the outbreak of cholera. [40661/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe people of Yemen are facing a combined humanitarian catastrophe of conflict, cholera and risk of famine. 17 million Yemenis are food insecure, including 1.8 million acutely malnourished children. In the last six months alone, the cholera epidemic has killed more than 2,000 people and infected nearly 700,000 others, many of whom are children. Yet, due to ongoing attacks and lack of critical supplies, only 45% of health facilities are functioning.
The extent of the crisis in Yemen is a source of deep concern, particularly given its devastating impact on the Yemeni people. Since 2012 Ireland has provided over €11 million in humanitarian assistance to Yemen, with €4 million provided this year to meet the commitment we made at the High-level Pledging Event for Yemen in April. This funding provides rapid and flexible funding to NGOs and UN agencies to deliver services on the ground, including health, water and sanitation, and nutrition interventions.
Ireland is also providing €20 million annually over a three year period (2016-2018) to the World Food Programme (WFP). Last month, WFP reached nearly seven million people in Yemen with monthly food assistance as well as specialized nutrition supplements to treat and prevent malnourishment among women and children. Our core funding of €9.5 million in 2017 to the International Committee of the Red Cross supports the organisation’s work in Yemen, where it is providing support to health facilities and on-site training to medical and administrative personnel in dedicated cholera treatment units. Ireland is also the 8th largest contributor to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which has allocated $84.8 million to Yemen since 2015.
Conflict is at the root of this crisis and Ireland supports the efforts of UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed and his team, who continue to work towards a peace agreement that is acceptable to all parties to the conflict. Ireland has also been consistent in calling for an impartial, international investigation into alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and human rights law by any party to the conflict in Yemen, including at the UN Human Rights Council.
Together with our EU and UN partners, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and to work internationally for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
