Results 1,781-1,800 of 2,792 for speaker:Colm Brophy

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Access (6 Jul 2021)

Colm Brophy: Ireland is 'co-penholder' with Norway on the UN Security Council Syria Humanitarian file, strongly advocating for humanitarian aid to reach all those in need, including and in particular north-west Syria. In order that the extensive humanitarian needs in Syria continue to be met, Ireland, with Norway, is working towards the renewal of the mandate enabling cross border operations later...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (8 Jul 2021)

Colm Brophy: I am deeply concerned by the recent tensions and civil unrest in Eswatini, and at reports of the deaths of civilians and the destruction of property. It is vital that all sides take immediate action to deescalate the current situation, and to allow for dialogue to take place. The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right, enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Communities Abroad (13 Jul 2021)

Colm Brophy: Since its establishment in 2004, Ireland's Emigrant Support Programme has provided over €190 million in support to Irish communities across the world. Last year alone ESP grants totalling around €13 million assisted over 400 projects run by nearly 300 different organisations, the vast majority grassroots-based. These range in scale from large-scale welfare support programmes...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Expenditure (9 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: My Department has supported the UNESCO programme, Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3) since 2017, providing €1,850,000 in funding to-date. As part of the programme, which is the largest comprehensive sexuality education programme in Africa, funding from Ireland supports the empowerment, health and resilience of adolescents and young people in Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (9 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I am deeply concerned by the ongoing violence in Nigeria.  Conflict poses a serious challenge to that country’s stability, and impact on the wider region. The particular acts of violence referred to are between nomadic herders and settled farmers.  While in Nigeria the vast majority of herders are Muslim and many of the farmers are Christian, conflict arises from...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Visa Applications (9 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: Officials at the Irish Embassy in question are aware of the case and have been in contact with the individual concerned.  As part of ongoing Government efforts to tackle the Covid-19, short stay visa applications were not accepted since 21 March 2020, unless the application meets certain emergency or priority criteria. Unfortunately, this particular case did not fall under the...

Confidence in Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence: Motion (15 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: It would be easy to give a litany of what Sinn Féin Members actually do, what their real intentions and practices are compared to the petty stunts they pull when sitting in this House. I do not want to do that tonight. I want to talk about a colleague-----

Confidence in Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence: Motion (15 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: Believe me, there will be plenty of time to talk about what they do. Tonight I want to talk about a colleague I work with in the Department of Foreign Affairs, a person who has more integrity than most of them will ever know or understand and who does more to serve this country in a day or a week than most of them have ever done. Indeed, most of them have a good track record in damaging our...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (21 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I represented Ireland at the 13 September High Level Meeting on Afghanistan called by the UN Secretary General. The purpose of that meeting was to raise awareness and support for the deteriorating humanitarian situation there. I set out Ireland’s response to date and our intention to continue to support evolving needs, noting that Ireland has so far this year provided €2...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (22 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I am deeply concerned by the ongoing violence in Nigeria. Conflict poses a serious challenge to the country’s stability, and impacts on the wider region. The particular acts of violence referred to are between nomadic herders and settled farmers. While in Nigeria the vast majority of herders are Muslim and many of the farmers are Christian, conflict arises from differences of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (22 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I refer the Deputy to Parliamentary Questions No. 304, 305 and 311 of 26 May 2021, Parliamentary Questions No. 303 and 310 of 26 May 2021 and Parliamentary Question No. 777 of 24 March 2021 on international election observation. The Department of Foreign Affairs facilitates an Election Observation Roster of suitably skilled and vetted volunteers who are available to participate at short...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (23 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I am deeply concerned by the imprisonment of Christians in Eritrea on the basis of their religious belief. The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (more commonly referred to as freedom of religion and belief) is regarded as a fundamental freedom, provided for under Article 18 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on Civil and...

Afghanistan Crisis: Statements (29 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I am thankful for the opportunity to have this important debate on the extremely worrying situation in Afghanistan. The current crisis comes against a background of 40 years of conflict, recurrent natural disasters, chronic poverty, drought and the Covid-19 pandemic. The people of Afghanistan have borne many hardships and are now experiencing new suffering, with the most vulnerable,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Equality Issues (28 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 411 and 413 together. I remain deeply concerned by the human rights and humanitarian situation in Tigray, including the ongoing blockade of the region and attacks on humanitarian workers. As famine-like conditions are reported, there is an urgent need for full humanitarian access, a negotiated ceasefire, and the commencement of political dialogue to find a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (30 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 76 together. The Government is committed to achieving the UN Official Development Assistance target of 0.7% of GNI by 2030, as set out in A Better World, Ireland's International Development policy, and re-iterated in the Programme for Government. It is important that we do so in a responsible way. Ireland's development programme has a strong global...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Agreements (30 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: The Great Green Wall is a Pan-African initiative to restore and sustainably manage land in the Sahel-Saharan region, covering more than 20 African countries. It aims to rehabilitate 8.2 million hectares of land per year by 2030. The intervention zone dedicated to the Great Green Wall spans a length of at least 7000km between Senegal and Djibouti and it is home to 232 million people. The...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Climate Change Policy (30 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: In fragile and vulnerable situations, climate change acts as a threat multiplier, with serious implications for peace and security. 80% of UN peacekeepers are deployed in countries that are the most exposed to climate change. Ireland is working to address these issues, in particular, through our membership of the UN Security Council.  On 23 September, the Taoiseach chaired a...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Climate Change Negotiations (30 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: Ireland is committed to concerted global action to address the climate crisis. Ireland is actively engaged in negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate and the Paris Agreement through our participation in EU preparations for the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Glasgow.  The Department of the Environment, Climate and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: Since the beginning of the pandemic over €200 million in Irish Aid funding has been invested improving in global public health, including the response to COVID-19. This has helped multilateral partners such as the COVAX Facility and WHO to accelerate the equitable distribution of vaccines to Low and Middle Income Countries, as well as strengthening the health systems of partner...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (30 Sep 2021)

Colm Brophy: I remain deeply concerned by the human rights and humanitarian situation in Tigray, including the ongoing blockade of the region and attacks on humanitarian workers. As famine-like conditions are reported, there is an urgent need for full humanitarian access, a negotiated ceasefire, and the commencement of political dialogue to find a resolution to the conflict.   I am alarmed by...