Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I ask members, witnesses and people in the Visitors Gallery to ensure their mobile telephones are turned off for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference with the broadcast of proceedings.

I welcome the representatives of Concern - Mr. Ros O'Sullivan, emergency directorate, and Mr. Peter Doyle, desk officer for Syria and Lebanon; GOAL - Mr. Jonathan Edgar, chief operations officer, and our former colleague, Mr. Barry Andrews, chief executive officer; and Médecins Sans Frontières - Ms Jane-Ann McKenna, director, and Ms Deirdre Mangaoang, communications manager. We have read reports in the newspapers and seen plenty of television reports on the terrible ongoing tragedy in Syria and today we will hear from the representatives of those who have first hand experience there. I will ask a representative of each organisation to make a presentation and after the third presentation there will be a questions and answers session in the usual format.

I invite Ms Jane-Ann McKenna, director of Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF, in Ireland, to make her presentation.