Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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18. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way Irish Aid allocated to the crisis in Syria has been spent over the past two years; if he will provide an update on the situation there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23176/14]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The protracted and tragic crisis in Syria has resulted in unprecedented levels of humanitarian need, requiring a sustained response from the international community. The number of fatalities surpasses an estimated 150,000 people. There are now over 9.3 million people within Syria who are in need of immediate life-saving support, and a further 2.8 million Syrian refugees require assistance in neighbouring countries. The revised UN response plan for Syria and the refugee populations envisages US$6.5 billion dollars in total for operations in 2014, of which approximately 25% has been provided by the international community to date. This represents the largest humanitarian appeal in the history of the UN.

Ireland has been to the fore in the international efforts to help alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people and is one of the most generous contributors to the humanitarian response on a per capita basis. In view of the immense needs in Syria and neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees, I announced Ireland’s pledge of a further €12 million in humanitarian assistance at the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria and region in Kuwait on January 15th 2014. This additional pledge brings Ireland’s overall funding commitment in the period 2011 to 2014 to €26.011 million. I have already approved the release of €9 million towards our pledge, bringing our contribution to over €23 million.

Ireland has focused our humanitarian aid through trusted NGO partners, as well as to key UN partners and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement - agencies capable of delivering impartial assistance to large numbers of beneficiaries. These agencies also play a key role in supporting the host governments in neighbouring countries to provide assistance to the refugee populations. This funding has supported the provision of water, food, shelter and vital medicines to internally displaced persons within Syria and also to refugees and host communities in neighbouring countries, particularly Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. We will continue to provide assistance, within our means and as the situation evolves.

Ireland has consistently matched our material humanitarian contribution with concrete support to international efforts to find a sustainable political solution to the crisis, and to advocate for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access. We have called for all parties to the conflict to fully respect international humanitarian law and to refrain from the targeting of civilians. Ireland is firmly of the view that Syria’s neighbouring states cannot and should not be shouldering the burden of hosting the influx of Syrian refugees alone. It is for this reason that much of our support has been targeted at supporting both citizens displaced within Syria and refugees across the wider region, as well as to assist the communities hosting refugees in neighbouring states. Ireland will continue to advocate at all relevant international fora for increased support to the humanitarian relief, as well as for the full and immediate implementation by all parties to the conflict of UN Security Council Resolution 2139 on humanitarian assistance in Syria.