Seanad debates

Wednesday, 2 April 2003

Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq: Statements.

 

10:30 am

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I welcome this opportunity to debate once again the humanitarian situation in Iraq. We are daily witnessing scenes of conflict and distress in Iraq on our television screens and on my way here I heard about the bombing of a maternity hospital in Baghdad. We do not have the full details, but it is quite harrowing news. Some commentators have suggested that we are becoming used to the 24 hour coverage and that the humanitarian crisis has become somewhat less urgent. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Iraq is potentially facing a catastrophe with millions of innocent civilians threatened by conflict, hunger and a lack of basic needs. As I have stated in this Chamber previously, my focus remains on the protection and saving of human lives. This is the humanitarian imperative to which I am committed.

The current conflict in Iraq comes on top of years of hardship and difficulty. Since 1991, the Iraqi people have seen a dramatic drop in their living standards. In the league table that measures quality of life – the human development index – Iraq fell from 96th to 127th place in a little over ten years. No country has fallen so far so rapidly. This deterioration is translated at the basic human level into increased child deaths, malnutrition and high rates of disease. Iraqi children are facing extreme risks at this time and we should be conscious of the fact that they constitute 50% of the population of Iraq.

Prior to the beginning of the current conflict, 60% of the population, that is, 16 million people, were dependent on rations delivered under the UN Oil for Food Programme as their only food supply. The suspension of that programme on 17 March, when the Secretary General withdrew United Nations personnel from Iraq, has put even greater pressures on an already extremely vulnerable population.

I welcome the unanimous decision of the Security Council, through Resolution 1472, to authorise the Secretary General to administer the Oil for Food Programme for the next 45 days and possibly longer. I hope the resumption of the programme will mean that despite the difficulties, basic food assistance can once again reach those who are most vulnerable. The question is whether the food can reach them in the midst of a conflict.

Senators will be aware that since I last addressed the House on 21 March, I have announced an emergency assistance package for the people of Iraq, with a particular emphasis on women and children. These funds, amounting to €5 million, will be disbursed through non-governmental organisations and international agencies such as UNICEF and the Red Cross. We will work with those agencies which are best equipped and have the capacity and experience to respond effectively to this crisis.

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