Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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26. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of the EU trust fund for Africa and Ireland's involvement especially in regard to Irish Aid's partner countries; and his views on whether EU funding relating to refugees should be allocated to countries with appalling records on human right, for example, Eritrea. [36126/16]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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My question relates to EU funding, including the EU trust fund, and where and how it is being allocated. I have concerns about some of the areas where the funds are being allocated.

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I dtús báire, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta fá choinne an cheist seo a ardú. The EU emergency trust fund for Africa was launched in November 2015 at the EU-Africa summit on migration in Valletta, as a response to the development challenges in migrants' home countries. These challenges are mainly in the Lake Chad - Sahel region, the Horn of Africa and North Africa. The fund is an important element of a wider EU approach to tackling the root causes of instability, forced displacement and irregular migration in these regions of Africa. This also includes a new partnership framework between the EU and Africa which to date is focusing on finalising migration compacts with a number of countries and a new ambitious external investment plan. The trust fund is implemented through establishing economic programmes that create employment opportunities, supports resilience in terms of food security, livelihoods and basic services for local populations, improves migration management, including by combatting human trafficking and smuggling and supports improvements in overall governance.

Ireland’s commitment of €3 million to the trust fund over the period 2016-20 is earmarked for the Horn of Africa region, which includes Irish Aid partner countries Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. It also includes Eritrea. To date no proposals specific to Eritrea have been approved under the trust fund. There are serious concerns about human rights violations in Eritrea, which the Deputy referred to, and which are highlighted in the latest report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea. Ireland has consistently condemned these violations at the UN Human Rights Council and in EU discussions. A policy of non-engagement, however, can often inhibit progress and lead to more suffering for the vulnerable groups that could benefit most from development assistance. In line with this, any EU development funding to Eritrea is based on key principles of engagement, notably on improvements in human rights.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State. I am 100% behind our overseas development aid programme and would like to see it moving back towards the 0.7%, but there are concerns from NGOs and civil society organisations that instead of the funding going towards looking at, and tackling the root causes of, migration, the funding is actually going towards migration management and border security. There are concerns around some of the quite heavy, persuasive methods being used on some African countries to get them to buy into this, such as sanctions being imposed on them if they do not, or the suggestions of sanctions. We know that when the European partnership agreements were being negotiated there was sanctioning of countries that would not collaborate. Where is the active engagement with African parliamentarians, with civil society and with NGOs on designing the trust fund in the first place and then on where the funds would be allocated? There are concerns that these funds are diverting funding from aid programmes.

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I share Deputy O'Sullivan's concerns about where the debate is at. Yesterday I met with a number of NGO chief executives, including Peter Maurer from the International Committee of the Red Cross, and everyone is having the debate on what is the best way forward. Critical to that debate are the people on the ground, especially the NGOs, but they also feed in to a multi-lateral platform which includes the engagement of the EU and the compact countries. I will illustrate one statistic specific to Eritrea. Some 5,000 people per month leave Eritrea with the majority going to Sudan and Somalia under refugee status. It is a massive challenge. For example, 25% of all migrants into Italy are from Eritrea. The way to go to the core of that challenge is economic stability and looking at the root causes and reasons behind the displacement. The overarching focus when ensuring finance is being delivered is that human rights must be to the forefront.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Consider the example of this funding going to the EU-Horn of Africa migration route, which is I believe €100 million going to Sudan. In Sudan there are gross violations of human rights. The Sudanese Government is involved in repression, it has used cluster bombs and it has attacked hospitals and schools. Sudan itself is also generating huge numbers of refugees and displaced people. The Sudanese Government is not honouring the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and it is forcibly returning Eritrean people to Eritrea. How can we see Sudan as a reliable partner? Equally, the Sudanese President is wanted by the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses and yet we are funding Sudan with some €100 million through the EU. What is the EU voice on this matter? Can we see that country as a reliable partner in looking after migration and refugees?

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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In some instances, there are concerns around how one distributes the money. In these particular countries, we are talking about going to the NGOs or collaboration with the UN and NGOs, such as the Red Cross. We also must ensure that money does not go through government, so transparency must also be to the fore. We have to build the capacity at local level. The NGOs are at the forefront there with their ideas and I am very conscious that one cannot separate humanitarian work from development work as they are interlinked. It is about keeping a focus on the development also.

I will cite as an example one NGO in Eritrea called Vita, which works in partnership with the Irish State agency Teagasc, and I have met the Eritrean Minister for Agriculture. It is working on irrigation schemes and on dairy and potato issues. This is an example of capacity building at local level where we can work directly with communities under the directorship of NGOs on the ground. It is important that we still focus on the important elements, including capacity building at a local level, irrespective of the major challenges inherent at a human rights level. If development funding is going into an area, then we must stay focused on the human rights which has to be an overall objective.