Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 81 and 91 together.

I share the concern about the dangerous situation in the Central African Republic. At the last meeting of the foreign affairs Council on 16 December, I welcomed the decision of the United Nations to upgrade the crisis in the country to a Level III emergency, which should facilitate increased delivery of humanitarian aid. I also welcomed the peacekeeping role being undertaken by the African Union and by France. I drew attention to the appalling violence and human rights abuses which have been reported and I expressed the view that a comprehensive UN-led response, including a UN peacekeeping operation, will be required to ensure long-term stability. At the Council, Ministers agreed to examine the possible use of EU Common Security and Defence Policy instruments to help in the stabilisation efforts. We will discuss these options further, and the international humanitarian response to the crisis, at the January meeting of the Council in Brussels next Monday.

It is clear that the worsening security situation is limiting humanitarian access to those in need in the Central African Republic. The UN estimates that 935,000 people, approximately one in five of the entire population, are now displaced within the country. A total of 2.2 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Ireland has been responding strongly. We are among the top ten international donors of humanitarian assistance to the Central African Republic, in line with our commitment to addressing protracted, and often forgotten, humanitarian crises. Since 2008, Ireland has provided €12 million in humanitarian aid to the Central African Republic, including an allocation of €2 million just last month.

See this speech in context