Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, Article 11, he will ensure that issues of disability will be included in all aspects of planning and relief through humanitarian intervention. [7173/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government fully recognises the importance of ensuring that the specific needs of people with disabilities are taken into account in all humanitarian planning and programming. Our approach is entirely consistent with the provisions of Article 11 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which relates to the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including humanitarian emergencies.

In such situations, people with disabilities may, for example, encounter specific difficulties in accessing services and support. They may face additional risks as a result of dislocation and displacement. They may be overlooked in the provision of assistance as a result of the breakdown of their usual social support networks. In some cases, humanitarian emergencies not only increase the vulnerability of people already living with disabilities, but add to their number, through serious injury. The recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, for instance, has resulted in at least 1,000 amputees, with many others suffering serious long term injury.

It is important to recognise that experience has shown that people with disabilities, and indeed disaster-affected populations more generally, are remarkably resourceful in the face of emergencies, developing their own coping and recovery strategies. Our approach, as a donor responding to humanitarian emergencies, is to make sure that our assistance is channelled to projects and programmes which encourage and support these coping strategies.

Internationally, the agreed professional standards for humanitarian action in crisis situations, such as that in Haiti in recent weeks, are clearly set out in a document known as the Sphere Handbook. These standards were developed through an extensive global consultation process which began in 1997 and drew on the expertise of more than 400 Non-Governmental Organisations, UN agencies and academic institutions. They are based on the obligations under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law. The objective is to ensure that the needs of vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, are taken fully into account in all emergency programming. Ireland, through our overseas aid programme, funded this initial consultation exercise. We are also supporting an ongoing review and update of the standards.

In the context of Ireland's assistance to the people of Haiti following the earthquake, Irish Aid has emphasised to all agencies the importance of ensuring that the needs of people with disabilities are taken into account. The Irish Aid technical team which I asked to travel to Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake has reported on its assessment of priority needs at this stage. The team specifically identified people with disabilities, including those wounded in the earthquake, as a vulnerable group in need of particular attention. I was pleased to note recently that, as part of the operational coordination mechanisms on the ground in Haiti, a sub-group on disability has been established. I believe that this will help focus additional attention on the needs of people with disabilities in Haiti.