Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 43: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number and location of countries on the continent of Africa now facing serious difficulty arising from starvation, war and or human rights abuse; the extent to which he can influence the international community with a view to maximising the impact of aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33798/11]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 44: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he directly and together with the international community has managed to avert some of the hardship arising from war, hunger and starvation from the Horn of Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33799/11]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 44 together.

Since its inception in 1974, Ireland's programme of official development assistance has had a particular focus on the continent of Africa. Both historically, and in many cases up to and including the present day, African countries have been obliged to face enormous difficulties, including food insecurity, poverty, protracted conflict, environmental degradation, weak government capacity, unequal global trading relationships, severe infrastructural weaknesses, poor governance, debt and the effects of HIV/AIDS.

In an effort to help the countries of the continent confront these far-reaching challenges, approximately eighty percent of Ireland's development assistance continues to be channelled to Africa, with Irish Aid operating intensive and wide-ranging country programmes in Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia, Uganda and Malawi. Thanks in part to this support, many of these countries have made significant progress with regard to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including in relation to the fight against extreme poverty, work to improve school enrolment and child health, and activities aimed at expanding access to HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment. In addition to this bilateral support, Irish Aid also provides development assistance to these and other countries in Africa, through our partnerships with the United Nations, the Red Cross family and NGOs such as Concern, Goal and Trócaire.

As the Deputy notes, some countries in Africa continue to face particularly acute challenges in terms of conflict and food insecurity. Irish Aid's emergency humanitarian budget allows us to respond quickly and effectively to needs arising from such emergencies as well as to the effects of natural disasters across the continent.

Most recently, this budget has helped to form the central component in the Government's response to the increasingly dire situation in the Horn of Africa. With almost €11 million in emergency assistance allocated to date and a pledge to provide a total of €20 million in humanitarian assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable in the region before the end of 2012 , this means that Ireland's contribution is one of the most significant and generous responses to the crisis on a per capita basis. In addition to this financial help, Irish Aid has also carried out two airlifts of humanitarian supplies from its pre-positioned stockpiles in Dubai and deployed 24 members of its highly skilled Rapid Response Corps to directly assist in humanitarian operations on the ground.

The Government has also been actively involved at EU and international level in pushing for a strongly coordinated approach to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn. In this context, the Tánaiste and I look forward to addressing the issues involved, including the ongoing conflict and instability in Somalia, at next week's meeting of EU foreign and development ministers in Brussels. We have also led the way in discussions on the issues involved in a variety of fora in Geneva and New York where we have stressed the need to move beyond the trauma of the present and towards a vision of sustainable long-term food security across the region. In spite of the enormous challenges faced both in the Horn and elsewhere across the continent, progress is undoubtedly being made right across Africa. Indeed, many countries, previously mired in poverty, are experiencing rapid economic growth and developing faster than ever before. While remaining committed to helping to tackle poverty and inequality and to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable communities in Africa, the Government is therefore eager to strengthen our overall engagement in the continent and to take a fresh look at ways in which both we and our African partners can benefit from the opportunities involved. In recognition of these new and exciting opportunities, the Tánaiste and I recently launched the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's new Africa Strategy at the first ever Africa-Ireland Economic Forum at the Smurfit School of Business in Dublin.