Written Answers Nos. 226-236
232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the anticipated full extent to which Ireland might be in a position to address the issue of refugees from Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15696/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraRussia’s unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine continues to cause immense suffering and has forced millions of people, mostly women and children, to flee their homes and their country.
Every part of Government is working intensely to respond to what has been the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War Two. The Department of Taoiseach is coordinating the response across all relevant domestic stakeholders, including with the Department of Justice, the Department of Housing, the Department of Social Protection, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
My Department will continue to work closely with colleagues across Government as part of this coordinated national response. The Department is also working to ensure the delivery of the €20 million in humanitarian aid which is already being disbursed through our partners in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
On 4 March 2022 the EU agreed to activate the Temporary Protection Directive which allows for beneficiaries to receive the support and protection of the Irish State through a quick and streamlined process. Such people have protection status for up to a year (with a possibility of extension where appropriate so overall period would not exceed three years), and would be entitled to access employment and State supports including, accommodation, healthcare and social welfare on the same basis as Irish Nationals.
Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova have received more than 3.5 million refugees and demonstrated tremendous solidarity and generosity. The humanity and the effectiveness of their response has been outstanding. The burden needs to be shared equitably amongst EU Member States and the Government is committed to ensuring that Ireland plays its part.
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the international community continues to monitor the activities of the Boko Haram and Al Shabaab or associate organisations with a view to minimising and eliminating their ability to carry out attacks on women, young girls or children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15698/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland strongly condemns the continued violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and al-Shabaab. Ireland supports the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN), and other international efforts to reduce the influence of Boko Haram and al-Shabaab, and to prevent their attacks, especially against civilians and humanitarian workers and facilities. Ireland continues to monitor the activities of these groups and to assist populations affected by their actions.
Through Irish Aid, the Government's official aid programme, Ireland is tackling poverty, hunger, and exclusion, which can be drivers of support for groups such as Boko Haram and al-Shabaab, as well as responding to humanitarian need, in regions affected by conflict. Recipients of Irish Aid funding include Concern Worldwide, Goal, Plan International Ireland, and Trócaire, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UN agencies and programmes. As an EU Member State, Ireland also contributes to the significant EU development and humanitarian response in countries affected by Boko Haram and al-Shabaab.
Since 2015, Irish Aid has allocated €34 million in humanitarian funding to alleviate the conditions of people in distress across the Lake Chad region – including North-East Nigeria, where the numbers of people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection are at the highest levels recorded. Since 2012, Ireland has provided over €57 million in direct humanitarian assistance to Somalia, including to communities displaced by conflict from al-Shabaab-held areas. In early 2022, Ireland made an additional contribution to the Somalia Humanitarian Fund to respond to the intensifying drought. With humanitarian needs in these regions remaining acute, Irish funding will continue to target those most in need.
Through the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the UN Peacebuilding Commission, the United Nations is helping stabilise the situation in the Lake Chad region. Ireland is penholder, together with Niger, on the UNOWAS file at the UN Security Council. In its Presidential Statement on peace consolidation in West Africa of 17 August 2021, the Security Council strongly condemned continued attacks against civilians in the region, and both attacks and threats of attacks against schools, children, and educational personnel, including recent abductions in Nigeria. Additionally, Ireland is a member of the International Support Group of the Regional Stabilisation Strategy for the Lake Chad Basin (ISG), and has observer status at the Sahel Alliance: both are forums which enable donors to coordinate support in addressing the challenges in Boko Haram-affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin.
The UN-mandated African Union-led peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which is primarily funded by the EU, assists the Federal Government of Somalia in its efforts to combat al-Shabaab. Ireland is supportive of plans to further transition security responsibilities to the Somali Security Forces. Ireland is Chair of the Somalia Sanctions Committee at the UN Security Council, which oversees an arms embargo and other tools to encourage a more peaceful and secure Somalia. This complements Ireland’s role as an EU Member State supporting development and governance in Somalia, including the strengthening of its institutions.
The EU has three Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Missions in the Horn of Africa. A number of Irish nationals are deployed to the civilian mission EUCAP Somalia, including the Head of Mission. In the Sahel, Ireland currently has 20 Defence Forces personnel participating in EUTM Mali. Ireland also deploys one expert to the civilian mission EUCAP Sahel Niger. Fourteen Defence Forces personnel are deployed in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Ireland’s participation in these missions allows Ireland to contribute to peace and security, help protect human rights, and put in place conditions for sustainable development.
234. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which women and children continue to be victims at various locations throughout the globe in which war or famine or a combination of both prevails; if the international community is adequately addressing these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15699/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraHumanitarian contexts affect women and children more heavily. Evidence tells us that they are time and again disproportionately affected by conflict and natural disasters, exacerbating pre-existing gender norms and inequalities. Humanitarian crises disrupt family and social networks, change the roles played by different genders and break down protection structures.
Existing inequalities for women and girls risk being further exacerbated during and after a crisis. The widest gender gaps exist in countries where there is a humanitarian appeal. An alarming 70 percent of women experience gender-based violence (GBV) in humanitarian contexts compared to 25 percent worldwide. Adolescent girls in conflict zones are 90 percent more likely to be out of school than girls in non-conflict settings. Sixty percent of preventable maternal mortality takes place in settings of conflict, displacement and natural disasters.
Covid-19 exacerbated domestic violence and also brought about an additional 13 million cases of child marriage.
In today’s armed conflicts, there is often no longer a clearly demarcated battlefield - attacks on schools and hospitals are on the rise. Conflicts in urban areas, with women and children in the frontline. The consequences of these brutal trends are devastating. More women and children are going hungry, are falling victim to preventable diseases and are trapped on the front-line without access to humanitarian aid. In many contexts children are often at risk of recruitment by armed groups.
The harm that is done to children in armed conflict is not only often more severe than that done to adults, it has longer lasting implications – for children themselves and for their societies.
Ireland is committed to ensuring that the needs and capacities of women and children are at the heart of global humanitarian action. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is driving improvements in the collection and analysis of sex and age disaggregated data – enabling the humanitarian system to target those most in need, including women and children. Gender was a priority for Ireland during our period as chair of the OCHA donor support group in 2018-19, and also as donor chair of the ICRC donor support group in 2019-20.
The humanitarian community has responded by putting the needs of women and children at the centre of humanitarian action, part of their focus on the most vulnerable groups. This includes the provision of safe spaces for children, child protection services, emergency education and health care services, and income generating opportunities. Humanitarian actors also provide legal aid, GBV services and psychological support to vulnerable groups, including women and children.
In recognition of the specific needs of women and girls, there are several humanitarian agencies with specific expertise in this area. These include UN agencies such as UNHCR, UNICEF and UNFPA as well as many NGOs. Ireland is a strong supporter of these agencies, and provides flexible, annual funding. In our recent response to the Ukraine crisis Ireland provided additional funding of €1 million to UNICEF, €1.5 million to UNFPA and €5 million to UNHCR. Ireland also provides annual funding of €1.8 million to the International Rescue Committee, an NGO with specific expertise in the prevention and response to GBV.
235. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which efforts are made to ensure the cessation of the export or provision of arms to protagonists in various war zones in which women and children are increasingly the victims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15700/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recognise that there is a clear link between the risk of gender-based violence (GBV) and the disproportionate impact of weapons on women and girls in conflict, particularly small arms and light weapons.
Ireland is a State Party to, and strong supporter of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which recognises the link between conventional arms transfers and gender-based violence, mandating that the risk of serious acts of gender-based violence or serious acts of violence against women and children be considered in the course of export risk assessments. Its effective implementation contributes towards eliminating violence against women and girls, as set out in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 5.2.
At the EU level, Ireland and all EU member states assess military export licence applications on a case-by-case basis against the eight criteria of the Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP of 8 December 2008 defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment. These criteria include an assessment of the end destination’s respect for international commitments; respect for human rights and international humanitarian law; and the internal political situation and preservation of regional peace, stability and security in the country of final destination.
In line with the National Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and related resolutions, gender analyses continue to be integrated into Ireland’s work in conflict-affected contexts and on peace and security issues, including in relation to disarmament. Ireland has continued to utilise its leadership role as co-chair of the International Gender Champions Disarmament Impact Group (DIG) to work for the increased participation of women in disarmament discussions. The full, equal and meaningful participation of women in arms control and disarmament is critical.
Ireland will continue to promote the strengthening of disarmament and arms control measures, given our firm belief that this will contribute to the reduction of GBV, among other aims.
236. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which hostilities continue in the horn of Africa; if adequate efforts are being made to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15701/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Horn of Africa is undergoing significant political turmoil and conflict, as shifting regional and geopolitical dynamics intertwine with grave climate, economic, humanitarian and security challenges. Conflicts such as that in northern Ethiopia (in which Eritrean forces are also embroiled), the conflict and violence in Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan, the ongoing efforts to ensure a democratic transition in Sudan, the Sudan/Ethiopia border dispute, and tensions over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) are combining to reverse the development and peace gains of recent years.
Conflict and inter-state disputes in the region are unfolding against the background of climate-induced shocks, including the worst drought in decades. In February, the World Food Programme assessed that 13 million people in the Horn faced severe hunger. The impact of the invasion of Ukraine on food supplies has prompted revised estimates, with 20 million in Sudan alone expected to struggle with acute hunger in 2022.
Peace and stability in the Horn of Africa is a priority for Ireland, including in our role on the UN Security Council where the situations in Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan are regular agenda items. Ireland is the unofficial penholder at the Council on Ethiopia, in addition to chairing the Somalia Sanctions Committee and playing a prominent role in discussions on Sudan and South Sudan. Ireland has partnered with African members of the Council to address thematic areas of particular pertinence to the region, such as climate and security; Women Peace and Security, and conflict and hunger. Ireland has worked to ensure participation of civil society from the Horn of Africa in debates on relevant peace and security agenda items, prioritising women peacebuilders, in particular during our Presidency of the Council in September 2021.
In July 2021, Minister Coveney visited Kenya and Somalia for a series of high-level political meetings designed to inform Ireland’s work on the Council, deepen bilateral relations, and enhance collaboration on regional security challenges. Both bilaterally and through the European Union, Ireland supports the peace and security capacities and leadership of organisations such as the African Union and IGAD (the Intergovernmental Authority on Development) in tackling the region’s crises. Ireland also works closely with the Office of the EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa. At the European Union, the Human Rights Council and the United Nations more broadly, Ireland will continue to highlight the human rights and humanitarian imperatives in the Horn: only by taking a people-driven, ground-up approach to security can sustainable peace in the Horn be achieved. Between 2012 and 2021, Ireland provided over €267 million in humanitarian and development funding to the region.
