Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the recent and current aid efforts in Haiti have demonstrated the need for such a restructuring of the Office of the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations in such as way as to enable a civilian leader to be available, in an emergency, to give leadership on behalf of the United Nations. [7147/10]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 118: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he agrees that the response to the tragedy in Haiti underlines the need for a higher level of teamwork between various agencies seeking to assist those suffering in the aftermath of natural disaster. [7156/10]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 136: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the plans that are being put in place to co-ordinate international aid following lessons learned from the earthquake in Haiti. [7239/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 118 and 136 together.

The tragic consequences of the earthquake in Haiti on 12 January have underlined the importance of early and sustained coordination in the response of the international community to humanitarian emergencies.

The international humanitarian system has undergone fundamental reform since 2004. Important lessons have been learned from the shortcomings of the response to the Asian Tsunami, with the aim of improving effectiveness, predictability and accountability to affected populations.

Central to that reform process has been the strengthening of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), which coordinates the international response in the event of a humanitarian emergency. OCHA is headed by the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, who has responsibility for oversight of all emergencies requiring UN humanitarian assistance. At local level, the role of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator was strengthened. In addition, a Cluster System was developed to bring together agencies working in sectors such as shelter, nutrition, water and sanitation. This system aims to minimise duplication and gaps in the relief effort by ensuring that agencies in each sector share information and work together more effectively. Its effectiveness depends on UN leadership but also on the active participation of agencies and NGOs.

The challenges faced in responding to the Haiti earthquake were exceptionally serious. Haiti was already an extremely vulnerable country, and much of its key infrastructure was destroyed in the earthquake. The ability of the Government and the UN to respond was severely affected initially by the tragic loss of key personnel in the disaster. Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti have received vital humanitarian assistance since the start of the relief effort.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, OCHA deployed members of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team to support the Haitian Government and the UN staff already in the country. The team rapidly established a coordination system in Port-au-Prince which has now been supplemented by coordination hubs in two other affected cities in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic.

Day-to-day coordination of the Haiti international relief effort is the responsibility of the civilian UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. In order to ensure full oversight and coordination with the military relief effort in Haiti, a Coordination Support Committee has been established. It is co-chaired by the Government of Haiti and the UN, and involves representatives from humanitarian organisations and from the international military.

Ireland has played an important role internationally in developing the effectiveness of international humanitarian coordination. At an early stage, the Government allocated €300,000 to support OCHA's coordinating role in Haiti. I have also authorised the deployment of a member of Ireland's Rapid Response Corps to assist OCHA with its civil-military coordination responsibilities in Haiti. This support is in addition to our regular funding for OCHA's core budget and to Ireland's ongoing strong support for humanitarian reform.

The lessons learned from earlier emergencies, including the 2004 Asian tsunami, have helped shape the international response in Haiti. However, there will be further lessons from the handling of the disaster in Haiti. Ireland will play an active role in ensuring that these lessons contribute to improved and more effective humanitarian coordination in future emergencies.