Results 661-680 of 2,534 for speaker:Colm Brophy

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Relations (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: Ireland’s partnership with Ethiopia is longstanding - our Embassy in Addis Ababa opened in 1994 and Ethiopia has been our largest bilateral development partner in the last five years. The situation in Tigray and in other parts of northern Ethiopia since the outbreak of the conflict in late 2020 is of grave concern. The conflict is having a devastating impact on civilians with...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: United Nations (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: Provision of assistance to refugees through the United Nations remains a critical part of Ireland's policy. This assistance is provided through a wide range of agencies (including UNICEF, OCHA, UNRWA, WFP, WHO etc.) but it is the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees worldwide and safeguard...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: Ireland’s international development policy, A Better World,puts reaching the furthest behind first at the centre of Ireland’s development cooperation. Education is at the heart of delivering on this ambition. My Department, through the Irish Aid programme, provides support for education in low income countries, with an emphasis on the most marginalised within those countries....

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Enterprise Support Services (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: The Back for Business Programme assists returning emigrants who are looking to start their own business in Ireland, with a particular focus on the additional barriers and challenges faced by those who have been out of the country for some time. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that we are expanding this programme. As the Deputy has noted, the scheme has generated overwhelmingly...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 78 together. Ireland remains committed to an effective global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two years, my Department, through the Irish Aid programme, has invested €200 million in global public health with further investment to come in 2022 of at least another €100 million. This includes COVID-19 specific response...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: In 2015, the member states of the United Nations committed to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 global goals designed "end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity" by 2030. Ireland, together with Kenya, acted as co-facilitators in achieving agreement on the SDGs, which apply to both developed and developing countries. Ireland’s first SDG National Implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: Ireland fully supports an effective global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the need for equitable access to vaccines and technology. In 2020, the WHO and the Government of Costa Rica launched the COVID Technology Access Pool, (C-TAP), to encourage the voluntary sharing of COVID-19 relevant technology, intellectual property and knowhow. The European Commission has been working...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Climate Change Policy (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: Following the commitment in the Programme for Government, a Climate Unit was established in the Department of Foreign Affairs in October 2020. The Unit is currently staffed by nine officials and is embedded in my Department's Development Cooperation and Africa Division. The Climate Unit has built upon the climate work that was already underway across the Department, in particular the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: Ireland consistently engages at EU and UN level on the issue of humanitarian support and the protection of women and children in conflict. Ireland also works closely with UN agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs to save lives and deliver essential assistance in conflict zones. Ireland is a global champion of Women, Peace and Security and on the Security...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: I am extremely concerned by the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which now has the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity in the world. Ireland through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme, Irish Aid, provided over €5.3 million in humanitarian support for the people of Afghanistan in 2021 - a fivefold increase compared to spending in 2020. This...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: My Department, through the Irish Aid programme, prioritises reaching those most in need, those living in countries suffering from the effects of war, starvation, and natural disasters, amongst other issues. Many of countries where Ireland has bilateral aid programmes are those which have recently emerged from conflict or, in some cases, where armed actions continue. These include Sierra...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: The Global Island review of our foreign policy engagement published in 2015 sets out our ambition for a fairer, more just, more secure and more sustainable world through our development programme, human rights policies, peacekeeping, disarmament and security policies and growing engagement with emerging global issues including climate change. It also considers the role of the EU and UN in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: I strongly condemn the continued violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, support work of the EU and UN to reduce their influence, and to prevent their attacks, especially against civilians and humanitarian workers and facilities. Through Irish Aid, the Government's official aid programme, my Department is tackling poverty, hunger and exclusion, which can be drivers of support...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: A Better World, Ireland's international development policy, identifies reaching the furthest behind first as a key objective, mandating the Irish Aid programme to work with countries and people in greatest need. Half of Ireland’s bilateral development assistance is specifically targeted at assisting low income and least developed countries, double the OECD average: additionally, Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (27 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: In line with our Policy for International Development: A Better World, and international best practice, Ireland delivers its Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme through a range of different channels. These channels include funding through Multilateral Organisations, Non-Government Organisations and government systems in partner countries amongst others. Approximately 60 percent...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (26 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: A Better World, the Government's policy for international development, committed to the scaling up of Irish Aid support for education. In 2018, my Department made a pledge to provide €250 million in support to education up to 2023. By the end of 2020, Irish Aid had allocated over €113 million in assistance to education. The final outturn for 2021 is currently being...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Aid (26 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: My Department, through the Irish Aid programme, is a strong supporter of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global humanitarian network of 80 million people that assists those facing disaster, conflict and health and social emergencies. The Movement comprises the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) and the International Federation of the Red...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (26 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 to 89, inclusive, together. I refer the Deputy to Parliamentary Questions No. 120 of 29 January 2019, No. 410 of 24 November 2020, No. 304 of 25 May 2021 and No. 310 of 16 November 2021. Ireland's current International Election Observation Roster of 197 volunteers, which is facilitated by my Department, is in effect from 1 January 2019 to 31...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Climate Change Policy (26 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: In January 2020, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform introduced mandatory new procedures for all Departments for offsetting the emissions associated with official airline travel. In line with these procedure the Department records the carbon emissions associated with all official air travel, values these emissions based on the prevailing rates of Ireland’s domestic Carbon...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Irish Communities Abroad (26 Jan 2022)

Colm Brophy: Many Irish emigrants and their descendants have been elected or served in public office in countries around the world. My Department, through our Embassies and Consulates, maintains close contacts and connections with many of these individuals, in particular through groups such as the "Friends of Ireland" in the US Congress and state legislatures. My Department does not hold...