Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is encouraging that there is a good deal of experience here in that some members were on the previous foreign affairs committee and I can sense that there will be an ongoing engagement on these major challenges.

The Chairman quoted Pope Francis, who referred to food and emergency services not being met because the people needing them were living in war zones or for various other reasons. That is an issue, but I put a challenge to the Chairman and the members. We have to look at our own set-up in terms of the peace process. The Chairman was very involved in the Good Friday Agreement committee and perhaps we have story to share in terms of bringing communities together.

I met a priest recently, Fr. Padraig Devine, a Roscommon man based in Nairobi, who is very much focused on conflict resolution in war zones. He sees no point in building schools and hospitals if the conflict cannot be sorted out. He could be an interesting participant in this committee and the Chairman might get a chance to contact him at some stage. The organisation is Shalom. I had not heard of it until I met Fr. Devine a few weeks ago. He has something significant to contribute that might help the members in their engagement.

We have a role to play. We can enlist the support of the International Criminal Court where there are examples of genocide, rape and so on to ensure that aid gets to the most vulnerable.

The members will be aware that there is a conflict resolution unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and I met with the staff in the past two weeks. There is an opportunity for this committee also to engage with that unit.

I was asked if we envisaged the designation of a new key partner country in the near future. We do not. We have eight key partners, seven of which are in sub-Saharan Africa where there is a strong strategic commitment to long-term assistance. I refer to Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Sierra Leone. Outside that continent, there is also Vietnam. That is not to say there is no engagement on funding with other countries. Obviously, events bring change. El Niño brought devastating consequences to southern African and it is affecting food supplies. The cost of food in places like Lesotho is having a major impact.

Deputy O'Brien raised again the EU-Turkey refugee facility, which he raised with the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, who said he would note that. It was agreed by the European Council to fund services for Syrian refugees in Turkey. The specific commitment given was that it was for services for Syrian refugees. I am aware of a committee that will work in tandem with the decision that has been made and if this committee has reservations, there might be an opportunity for it and our Government to let those be known because it was not specifically about border enhancement; it was about services for refugees.

In terms of the funding, the Deputy is correct that it is €22 million over four years, including €5 million from Vote 27 in 2016. We engage, through our officials in Brussels, on the management of funding under the new Turkey refugee facility and no doubt the Deputy will continue to engage with this committee on that. We note his concerns, which he outlined clearly.