Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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144. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts he and his European Union counterparts have made in relation to the plight of refugees fleeing the Middle East and North Africa, the progress on developing an adequate and comprehensive European Union response programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45608/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The scale of the migration challenge facing the international community is enormous. The conflict in Syria - the biggest driver behind this year’s migrant flows - has led to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. But the problem is bigger than Syria. An estimated 60 million displaced people worldwide are on the move, the highest since World War II. They are coming not just from Syria but from such places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza and a dozen or so countries in sub-Saharan and North Africa.

For most of this year Migration has been at the very top of the EU agenda. There have been no fewer than five special meetings of Justice and Home Affairs ministers devoted to migration while Heads of State and Government have debated the issue in three special councils. I and my foreign minister colleagues have also addressed the issue many times this year.

In June, the Foreign Affairs Council launched EUNAVFOR Med, the EU’s naval operation to disrupt the dangerous activities of people smugglers in the Mediterranean, which have tragically resulted in the loss of many lives. As the Deputy will know, the crews of the L.E. Niamh, Eithne and Samuel Beckett have done sterling work in saving more than 8,500 lives.

In September, the Government decided accept up to 4,000 asylum seekers and refugees as part of the European Commission’s comprehensive plan to address the migration crisis.

As part of its efforts to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the refugee crisis, the EU organised two high level conferences earlier this year. On 8 October, a conference focusing on migration flows into the EU through the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans route took place in Luxembourg attended by both JHA and Foreign Ministers. The Conference issued a Declaration endorsing a five-pronged approach to addressing the migration challenge.

On 11/12 November EU Heads of State and Government met their African counterparts at a migration summit in Valletta. They agreed to establish a Trust Fund to address the root causes of migration in Africa. The €1.8 billion Fund is to be augmented by EU member state contributions. Ireland is contributing €3m.

On 29 November, there was a key meeting of EU Heads of Government with Turkey in Brussels at which the EU agreed to provide a financial package worth €3 billion to help Turkey accommodate the more than two million refugees residing in the country. As part of the agreement there is to be a concerted effort by Turkey to stem the flow of irregular migrants through its territory. This agreement – or Joint Plan of Action – presents a real opportunity to stem the flow of such migrants into the EU.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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145. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide additional funding for humanitarian aid for Syria and adjoining areas in view of the ongoing conflict, the appalling loss of life and the urgent need to get essential humanitarian aid to persons living in desperate conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45615/15]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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146. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will raise at the next European Union Foreign Affairs Council the need for the European Union to provide additional funding to Syria and that region given the ongoing conflict, the appalling loss of lives and the urgent need to get humanitarian aid to persons living in desperate conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45616/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 146 together.

The world now faces unprecedented levels of humanitarian crisis, driven by conflict, chronic instability, and economic and environmental shocks. Globally, there are now more than 59 million people displaced, more than at any time since the Second World War.

Ireland is firmly committed to responding to the humanitarian needs of those affected by these crises. Our most significant humanitarian contribution in recent years has been for the people affected by the appalling conflict in Syria, which has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed, 6.6 million people are displaced within Syria, and over 4.2 million have had to flee the country in search of safety. Some 13.5 million people, well over half of Syria’s population, are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Ireland is particularly mindful of the impact of the crisis on Syria’s immediate neighbours – Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq – which have been generous hosts to huge numbers of desperate people, putting huge strain on their own resources.

We have been supporting efforts to assist refugees affected by the Syria crisis, providing needs-based humanitarian assistance since 2012.

Ireland’s humanitarian aid is implemented by our UN, NGO and Red Cross partners, and has helped to provide food, shelter and medical care to those who need it.

At the Pledging Conference in Kuwait in March 2015, Ireland pledged €12 million in humanitarian assistance for the Syrian crisis this year. Earlier this week, I announced an additional package of €2.95 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region, bringing the total given in 2015 to €13 million.

With the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance within Syria greatly exceeding the number of refugees who have fled their home country, I have ensured that half of this package is focused on their needs.

With more than 2 million children in Syria, and 700,000 across the region not in school, there is a high risk of creating a generation of under-qualified and disaffected youth. To support the No Lost Generation initiative, which supports education, child protection and engagement of adolescents in their communities, €1 million goes to UNICEF.

Additionally, €500,000 goes to UNICEF in Jordan for water and sanitation work in the Azraq refugee camp, improving living conditions for Syrian refugees there, and increasing sustainability in this long drawn out crisis.

By the end of 2015, Ireland will have provided over €42 million to the Syrian people since the beginning of the crisis. I am determined that Ireland will continue to provide appropriate humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

The Syria crisis remains high on the European agenda. On 23 September last, an Emergency European Council was held to address the crisis, resulting in further funding being given. Since then, the European Council of 15 October, and the informal European Council of 15 November have discussed the crisis in the context of migration. The Foreign Affairs Councils of 12 October and 16 November both featured Syria prominently on their agendas.

The EU, collectively, is the world’s largest humanitarian donor, and has been a leading donor in response to the Syrian crisis. The EU (European Commission and Member States) has provided some €4.4 billion in humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people since the beginning of this crisis. This crisis will remain on the EU’s agenda, and will remain a humanitarian priority for the EU, as it is for Ireland.