Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Sparrow for her moving presentation. As the Chair said, we have heard other eyewitness accounts of the war in Syria but she has described graphically and clearly the horrific impact of the war on children, in particular, and the outrageous brutality of the regime. Many of us have sought to put that to the Russian government representatives here, as well as to people who have appeared before us who have been, in effect, apologists for the regime in Syria. I thank her for appearing before the committee and making a very powerful presentation.

She wanted to highlight some things to us and for us to highlight with our Government, the UN and the EU the withholding or controlling of aid distribution by the Syrian Government for its own purposes and, allied to that, the weaponisation of healthcare, including the targeting of medical personnel, hospitals, clinics and so on. Above all, she raised the impact on civilians, especially children, that has had during the years of the war.

How do we address these issues? I have read some of Dr. Sparrow's work, in particular her critique of the WHO which she described as having become an apologist for Assad atrocities. I read a briefing from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which pointed out that Ireland has contributed over €100 million to the Syrian crisis since 2012, our largest ever response to a single crisis. Clearly, we are stakeholders in this. Our briefing also tells us that our support inside Syria is mostly channelled through the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, including the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, SARC, which is best placed to respond on the ground, including hard to reach areas.

If the view is taken that SARC is the body through which aid can most effectively be distributed, what is the alternative? If we are seeking to ensure that the aid distribution is not corrupted by the regime, as Dr. Sparrow described, how else can we reach the 5.6 million civilians who are in hard to reach or besieged areas? We have carried out an extensive review of Irish Aid programmes. We have heard in other contexts about the difficulty for aid delivery programmes in conflict situations and how quite often aid agencies and Governments have to work with deeply corrupt and brutal regimes in order to be pragmatic in the delivery of aid to the people who need it most. How else do we address this and deliver aid, other than through co-operation with SARC, in particular, or other bodies that are otherwise compromised by the regime?

I have had the privilege of meeting the white helmets, who are superb front line humanitarian workers. I am conscious that beyond the white helmets, who are working in the most horrific conditions, there is a need for a network for aid distribution at a broader level. Is that why the WHO and other agencies are working with government-controlled bodies? Do they see that as the only way to deliver aid? Does Dr. Sparrow have an alternative?