Results 1,541-1,560 of 2,792 for speaker:Colm Brophy

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 415 and 425 together. I am deeply concerned by the recent outbreak of armed conflict between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the regional authorities in Tigray and by reports of atrocities and targeting of ethnic groups. There are credible allegations of mass casualties, including civilian casualties, and of human rights abuses. There is a grave...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: Information received in confidence from foreign Governments on their election observation programmes remains confidential, unless released publicly by the originating authorities in accordance with their own regulations or legislation. It would be a breach of the principle of trust in international relations with other countries or international organisations to release such information.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: The total amount of Ireland’s overseas development aid increased from €647.51 million in 2015 to €869.87 million in 2019. Information on the recipients of this ODA, and the channels through which ODA is delivered, can be found in the annual reports from Irish Aid. A link to the report can be found at: In 2018, 45% of Ireland’s funding to multilateral...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: Ireland’s development co-operation programme recognises that international trade can play a major role in the promotion of economic development and the alleviation of poverty. The World Trade Organisation-led Aid for Trade initiative seeks to mobilise resources to address the trade-related constraints identified by developing and least developed countries. Aid for Trade programmes are...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: In 2019, Ireland provided a total of €869.87 million in official overseas development assistance. Of this, €512.44 million (or 58.9%) was bilateral aid, and €357.44 million (or 41.1%) was multilateral aid. Both bilateral and multilateral channels play important and complementary roles in ensuring that Ireland’s ODA is directed to where it is needed most and in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: Ireland works with our EU partners to provide needs-based humanitarian assistance to the people affected by man-made and natural disasters, with particular attention to the most vulnerable victims. Aid is channelled impartially to the affected populations, regardless of their race, ethnic group, religion, gender, age, nationality or political affiliation. The European Commission’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: Ireland strongly condemns all acts of violence and terror perpetrated by Boko Haram and Al Shabaab. Ireland supports the EU, UN and other international efforts to reduce the influence of Boko Haram and Al Shabaab and to prevent their attacks, especially against civilians. Ireland continues to monitor the activities of these groups and to assist populations affected by their actions. The UN is...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: Although the Horn of Africa has seen some positive developments in recent years, internal conflict, weak governance and historically strained relations between neighbours persist. Fragile political transitions and peace processes are taking place against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting the entire region politically, economically and socially and adding to the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: We know from many examples that rates of violence against women and girls rise significantly during conflict and crisis. Ireland has stayed the course and continued funding protection in protracted crises. Some of these have seen women and children trapped in limbo in camps for decades, as in the case of Somali refugee camps in northern Kenya. Protection is more important than ever before....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: Access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is a precondition for success in the fight against poverty, hunger, child deaths and gender inequality, and has taken on a renewed importance since COVID-19 emerged. Water system management is critical to establishing sustainable food systems, and Ireland will work to ensure that this is discussed at next year's Food Systems Summit. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: Ireland is a long-standing advocate for these issues, including at the EU and the UN. For example, in 2016, Ireland co-facilitated the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants. This Summit agreed the New York Declaration, which led to the Global Compact for Refugees and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. In October, Minister Coveney addressed the Executive Committee of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Presidential Elections (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to outline to the House the position in relation to the commitment in the programme for Government to hold a referendum on extending presidential voting rights to Irish citizens resident outside the State. I appreciate that in his contribution, the Senator mentioned some of the main timeline points, to which I also...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Presidential Elections (24 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: We are very serious about our programme for Government commitment. As the Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora, I am very much committed to this. In recent days I launched our new diaspora strategy, a centrepiece of which is this extension of the franchise to Irish citizens. Since I became Minister of State, I have worked extensively on this area to ensure it remains a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Presidential Elections (25 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: The Government is committed to holding a referendum on extending the franchise at Presidential elections to Irish citizens living outside the State. We have restored the Thirty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Presidential Elections) Bill to the Dáil Order Paper. The date for the holding of the referendum will be decided once the legislation has been approved by the Oireachtas.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (25 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 to 93, inclusive, together. I am deeply concerned by the recent outbreak of armed conflict between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the regional authorities in Tigray and by reports of atrocities and targeting of ethnic groups. There are credible allegations of mass casualties, including civilian casualties, and of human rights abuses. There is a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (26 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: Ireland has consistently called for a cessation of hostilities and we welcome the agreement reached by Armenia and Azerbaijan to end the military conflict in and around Nagorno Karabakh. We remain deeply concerned for the humanitarian situation in the region, where hostilities have had a devastating impact on local civilian populations. Ensuring access for humanitarian organisations must be a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (26 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 25 together. I am deeply concerned by the recent outbreak of armed conflict between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the regional authorities in Tigray and by reports of atrocities and targeting of ethnic groups. There are credible allegations of mass casualties, including civilian casualties, and of human rights abuses. There is a grave risk...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Emigrant Support Services (26 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: The Emigrant Support Programme (ESP) provides funding to non-profit organisations and projects to support our most vulnerable emigrants overseas, to strengthen Irish communities abroad and to facilitate the development of closer and more strategic links between Ireland and the global Irish. The budget allocation for the programme in 2020 is €12.595 million and is a demonstration of the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (26 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: South Sudan continues to endure an ongoing crisis, in large part the consequence of civil war. Since the outbreak of conflict in 2013, almost 400,000 people have died and more than 7.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance out of an estimated population of 12 million. This has been compounded by the impact of flooding and COVID-19. In 2018, President Salva Kiir signed a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (26 Nov 2020)

Colm Brophy: All countries have been affected by COVID-19, with low-income countries particularly impacted by the need to deal with multiple challenges simultaneously. Ireland, in responding to the global impact of the pandemic, has prioritised use of the international development programme to reduce the incidence of the virus and mitigate its secondary impacts. This is line with Ireland’s...