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Irish Aid

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020

Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Ceisteanna (669)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

669. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assistance Ireland has provided to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33384/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Yemen is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world with 24 million people, 80 per cent of the population, continuing to require assistance and/or protection. The UN is warning that the country is on the brink of famine. Yemen faces outbreaks of violent conflict, flooding, displacement, cholera and restrictions on humanitarian access. Currently COVID 19 is spreading rapidly in the country.

In both 2019 and 2020 Ireland provided €5 million in funding to the United Nations Yemen Humanitarian Fund. This Fund mobilises and channels funding to NGOs and UN agencies which have the capacity and are best placed to deliver lifesaving assistance to the most vulnerable. In total, Ireland has contributed over €27 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen since 2015.

Ireland also provides significant humanitarian funding at the global level, including to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Ireland is among the top ten contributors to the CERF since its establishment in 2006. In 2019, the CERF provided €32 million in funding to Yemen. As an EU Member State, Ireland also contributes to the EU response to the crisis in Yemen. Since the conflict started in 2015, the EU has allocated €484 million in humanitarian aid.

Ireland continues to call for full, secure and unimpeded access for humanitarian and health workers and supplies to all parts of Yemen, in line with Security Council Resolution 2532. This would ensure the safety of essential services and allow lifesaving assistance to reach those in greatest need.

Along with the UN and the EU, Ireland believes that the only way to bring about a long-term sustainable improvement in the situation for the Yemeni people is through a negotiated end to the conflict.

Ireland fully supports the efforts of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. We urge all parties to the conflict to engage with him without pre-conditions, to enact confidence-building measures to secure a sustainable peace, and to allow the people of Yemen to begin to rebuild their lives.

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