Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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207. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised at the United Nations and the European Union the ongoing humanitarian crisis affecting Syrian civilians; if he has raised the desperate hardship and suffering imposed through starvation until submission sieges; if he is aware that it is generally accepted that humanitarian aid is still not reaching the most needy and vulnerable, particularly children and elderly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13748/15]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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208. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the proposals to be put forward at the forthcoming Kuwait humanitarian conference on Syria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13749/15]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 208 together.

The protracted crisis in Syria and the region has resulted in immense humanitarian need. More than 200,000 people have lost their lives, and there are now over 12.2 million people in need of immediate life-saving support within Syria. Due to the violence and the lack of access to aid, 3.8 million people have left Syria for neighbouring countries. In December, the UN launched humanitarian appeals for US$8.4 billion to help nearly 18 million people in Syria and the region in 2015. This was the largest UN appeal in history.

This week, I attended the major humanitarian pledging conference for Syria which was chaired by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and hosted by the Government of Kuwait. The aim of the Conference was to mobilise the required financial resources to enable the UN and its partners to meet urgent humanitarian needs, and to harness solidarity among concerned nations for the plight of the Syrian people.

I made a significant pledge of €12 million on behalf of the Irish Government to provide Irish Aid funding and emergency supplies to help meet the urgent needs of those affected by the Syria conflict in 2015.This contribution will bring the total value of the Irish Government’s response to the crisis in Syria to over €41 million. Ireland is one of the most generous contributors to the humanitarian response on a per capita basis. Our aid will be delivered through UN partners, the Red Cross and NGOs and will support people displaced within Syria and those across the wider region. One of the most difficult features of this crisis is that many of those who are most in need are beyond the reach of humanitarian workers, with vulnerable groups such as women, children and the elderly being particularly affected. It is disappointing that cross-border access has actually diminished over the last year. Ireland continues to advocate strongly for the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on humanitarian access in Syria. The EU has been the largest single donor in response to the crisis. At the most recent EU Foreign Affairs Council, in which my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Charlie Flanagan, T.D., participated, a strategy was adopted outlining how the EU and its Member States are planning to counter the threat posed by ISIL and help restore peace and security in Syria and Iraq.

At the Pledging Conference in Kuwait, I called on all parties to the conflict to work towards a political solution to the conflict, and highlighted the plight of Syrian refugees and host communities in neighbouring countries. I underlined the importance of allowing unhindered humanitarian access so that it reaches these very vulnerable populations. I paid tribute to the efforts of humanitarian workers who provide critical assistance in a very dangerous environment.

While the immediate imperative is to respond to the escalating humanitarian needs on the ground, it is essential that we persevere with the international efforts to find a sustainable political solution.