Results 1,021-1,040 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights (27 Jun 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: According to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN agency charged with upholding the rights of refugees and asylum seekers under international law and with providing essential humanitarian assistance to displaced persons globally, there were almost 70 million refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons worldwide at the end of 2017. One...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (27 Jun 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme and to its place at the heart of our foreign policy. Funding is kept under regular review by the Department, to ensure that is it well targeted and channelled through partners which can contribute most effectively to delivering the priorities of our foreign policy and our international development policy, as set...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Oversight (27 Jun 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas assistance programme, and to its place at the heart of our foreign policy. Ireland’s assistance programme is sharply focused on delivering our goals of reducing poverty and hunger, promoting inclusive and sustainable growth and building more equitable and better systems of governance. My Department provides...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Disaster Response (27 Jun 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: Natural disasters can spark off a new crisis or worsen an existing one. According to the UN, in 2016 445 million people were affected by disasters linked to natural hazards worldwide including floods, storms, earthquakes and drought; 8,000 people directly lost their lives; and immediate economic losses from major disaster events were estimated at almost $140 billion. Climate change,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Disaster Response (27 Jun 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The scale and number of humanitarian crises globally continues to increase. The UN estimates that 134.1 million people are now in need of urgent humanitarian assistance and protection, mainly as a result of conflict but also natural disaster. The annual Global Humanitarian Overview, published by the UN system last week details the current financial requirements to respond to humanitarian...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (21 Jun 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: International election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a roster of election observers for such missions. We aim to ensure, when requested, an appropriate level of Irish participation in international observation missions for elections and constitutional referendums. Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Expenditure (12 Jun 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme, and to its place at the heart of our foreign policy. Our priorities are clearly laid out in the Government’s development policy, ‘One World One Future’. In line with our commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, our aid programme is sharply focused on delivering...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Syrian Conflict (12 Jun 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 161 together. Ireland’s humanitarian response inside Syria is targeted at those in greatest need, channelled in line with the humanitarian principles of independence, impartiality, neutrality and humanity. Decisions on the allocation of Irish funds are based on analyses of the highest priority needs, together with assessments of...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (23 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank the Seanad for inviting me to make a statement on Palestine on behalf of the Government. Last week, we all watched the news reports from Gaza with a sense of shock and despair. Who could fail to be moved by images of despairing families grieving for the loss of loved ones and of individuals dealing with horrific and life-changing injuries? Over the course of six weeks of protests...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (23 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The very passionate contributions we have heard today reflect the deep and long-standing engagement the House has had with the situation in Palestine. I spoke at the outset about the loss of hope of the people of Gaza and Palestinians in general, how they are dealing with this incredible level of atrocity being committed against them and how it is feeding into the desperate acts that cause...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (23 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I mention this because it is necessary to tackle head on the arguments being put forward by some in Israel that these actions could be a justification for the deeply disproportionate Israeli response. I was also very clear that stone throwing does not in any way justify the use of live ammunition on young people and protesters who were unarmed. I was very specific in making this point over...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (23 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I also want to acknowledge the efforts made in framing the Bill to differentiate between illegal settlements and Israel itself. It is not an effort to impose a boycott divestment sanctions policy, which the Government would wholly oppose. However, the Bill proposes to regulate international trade, which, ultimately, is a matter of exclusive EU competence, falling under the EU's common...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (23 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: -----particularly in light of the views expressed by the Dáil and Seanad in 2014, to which many Senators referred. I want to address once again an issue raised in the debate by many Senators on the position of the Israeli ambassador and the embassy here. Asking an ambassador to leave is hardly ever done anywhere, not least because it cuts off an incredibly important channel of dialogue...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (23 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: I do not think we would have been celebrating 20 years of the Good Friday Agreement recently if we had decided to shut off communication completely with one of the communities involved.

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (23 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The protests of recent weeks were a reaction to the unsustainable situation in Gaza. The 1.9 million people who live there deserve an end to the blockade, so they can start to build what we would describe as normal lives, something that has been all but impossible for more than a decade.

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (23 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: Through our support of Palestine we have endeavoured to address some of the difficulties faced by the people of Gaza but, ultimately, the two-state solution with an independent Palestine and a democratic Israel, both secure within their borders, is the only possible outcome that will see an end to the decades of violence. This is why the Tánaiste has made, and continues to make,...

Seanad: European Court Decision: Motion (16 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The prevention and eradication of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment has been a cornerstone of Ireland's approach to human rights for decades. Ireland is rightly seen across the world as a defender of the international human rights framework, including through its work in the EU and at international fora such as the United Nations, the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid Provision (15 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The Government is strongly committed to responding to the escalating humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, where over 6.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Conflict, drought, severe food insecurity and the threat of famine, are causing massive population displacement and suffering throughout the country. Ireland’s utmost priority is to ensure that life-saving...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid Provision (15 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: The demands on the global humanitarian system have increased exponentially in recent years, with a 600% increase in humanitarian needs over the last 12 years. Currently, $24 billion USD in financial aid is needed to address the scale and complexity of these needs, with the clear imperative to ensure maximum positive impact for people affected by the multitude of crises, primarily driven by...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Provision (15 May 2018)

Ciarán Cannon: Ireland’s Overseas Development Assistance is an essential foreign policy tool, enabling Ireland to respond to complex human needs and humanitarian crises around the world. Along with a group of like-minded countries, including other EU partners, the Government remains committed to making incremental, sustainable progress towards achieving the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income...