Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 March 2022
238. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the degree to which the international community is involved in directing aid to the various locations worldwide suffering from the effects of drought, war, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15703/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt the beginning of each year the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs prepares a snapshot of global humanitarian needs, the Global Humanitarian Overview, which enables donor countries, including Ireland, to direct resources to where they are most needed.
The 2022 Global Humanitarian Overview shows a significant increase in the number of people in need, estimating that 183 million people in 63 countries require €37.31 billion in humanitarian assistance this year. Those figures have already increased due to the invasion of Ukraine and deteriorating conditions in other countries, including due to the emerging food crisis due to challenges to grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia.
Responding to the needs identified in the 2021 Global Humanitarian Overview, donors such as Ireland ensured that food, medicines, health care and other essential assistance and protection were delivered to 107 million people. The needs of the most vulnerable, particularly women and girls, were prioritised.
Each year, Flash Appeals are launch in response to emerging humanitarian needs, as happened last year for example in response to the drought in Southern Madagascar and Typhoon Rai/Odette in the Philippines.
Ireland continues to plays its part within the international humanitarian system: consistently ranked amongst the top 20 humanitarian donors, the OECD in its 2020 review of Irish Aid found Ireland to be ‘an excellent humanitarian partner’ whose ‘flexible funding models, especially for humanitarian assistance, could provide useful inspiration to other donors.’
Irish Aid’s humanitarian spend was €192 million in 2020, and final figures for 2021 will show a further increase. Irish Aid funding to UN agencies, the Red Cross Family and NGOs supports large-scale crises, such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria and Yemen, while also supporting crisis response in places no longer in the headlines, for example the Central African Republic. In 2021 Irish Aid responded to a number of Flash Appeals, including the volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the earthquake in Haiti.
Importantly, Irish Aid funding is predictable and flexible, giving partners the ability to respond immediately to emerging needs and also to plan for multi-annual interventions where necessary. This approach has meant that partners had pre-positioned Irish Aid funding, enabling their immediate response to humanitarian needs in Ukraine and ensuring that there are structures in place on the ground to maximise the impact of the €20 million Irish Aid Ukraine humanitarian response package released in recent weeks.
