Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for giving so freely of their time. There is no easy way of saying this, but I felt physically sick when I read the opening statement and saw that one death every 48 seconds is down to one every 36 seconds. Naively, I had hoped, against all the evidence that it would hold somewhere in and around where it had been and that the increase in the number of deaths would not be as severe. However, that lays bare, in very stark terms, the challenges that exist and the huge impact this is having across the countries that have been mentioned.

I want to ask some specific questions and then to dip into COP27. When Mr. Crowley was speaking I was minded of the five usable wells left from the hundreds that have been dug. Is the loss of those wells solely to do with climate change and the ground drying out or are there any other impacts involved?

In the run-up to COP27, I have been reading, as most people have how it is being framed as an African conference. I would imagine that is being done in some ways to draw more attention to the crisis emerging there. I am seeing and hearing about all this enhanced collaboration and new strategies. In the context the countries that are most closely involved, the neighbouring countries and Egypt, is the urgency that seems to be expressed by them being reciprocated by others? Is that same understanding being reciprocated through the actions of other countries?

The Santiago Network was established at COP26. This was broadly welcomed at the time in the context of the loss-and-damage initiative, but are we seeing any meaningful outcomes from it? It would be seen as a more long-term approach but are we seeing anything come out of that? What I am hearing from the witnesses is that there have been pledges of support, some of which have yet to materialise, that there are short-term actions that need to happen now and that there are longer-term strategies required.

I also watched Andrew Harding's news report. It broke my heart as a parent and a public representative. Where the pledges of support are not coming through, is there anything we can do on the international stage to encourage them to come through a little bit stronger and more quickly? Between the long-term strategy and the urgent need, what role can Ireland play in ensuring that the immediate need is met on an immediate basis?

I agree with everything that has been said about the disproportionate impact events like this have in the context of gender. Whether it is sexual exploitation or abuse, additional resources are needed for pregnant women and nursing mums. What can we do to address these issues? We have increased the levels of aid and we have seen that we have a good international reputation in Irish Aid and overseas development. From the long-term and the short-term perspective, what would the witnesses ask us to lobby the Oireachtas for?