Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 21 June 2018

Public Accounts Committee

2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Chapter 14 - Control of Ireland's Bilateral Assistance Programme
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade

9:00 am

Mr. Ruairí de Búrca:

Yes. I add that it is very difficult to work inside Syria, and our capacity to perform oversight is very limited because we cannot put staff at risk. As a rule, inside Syria we work with UN agencies or the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. They have robust systems of internal oversight and we can work with them inside the country. Outside of Syria, people providing support to Syria are a much more mixed group. We work with some NGOs. We also work with some international organisations, depending on who is best placed to provide a response. Given the huge numbers of people involved, there is a scale issue. That is why working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is the most effective and efficient mechanism for us in some instances.

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