Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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163. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which he and his colleagues at European Union and United Nations level continue to focus on the activities of Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, with particular reference to the degree to which the principles of democracy continue to be ignored and the extent to which arbitrary executions, the persecution of Christians, kidnapping, trafficking and abuse of women and girls continue unabated; if the international community has taken any action to address these issues in an effective way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9005/17]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I remain deeply concerned by the activities of all terrorist groups and the impact that these groups have on the stability and security of States across the Middle East and West and North Africa. The activities of Boko Haram continue to pose a threat to the people of Nigeria, and the wider Lake Chad region. They involve the clear and persistent abuse of human rights, especially of women and girls. Over the past months the Nigerian Government, supported by the international community, has made some progress in the fight against Boko Haram. The EU and UN have continued to provide assistance to the Nigerian Government to create a safe and secure environment for its people. In August 2016, the EU pledged up to €50 million in support of the Multinational Joint Taskforce, which supports 8,700 troops from Nigeria and neighbouring countries to promote regional security.

Ireland is engaging with the Nigerian authorities, in conjunction with our EU and other international partners, in responding to the crisis. Our Embassy in Abuja continues to monitor developments closely, and our Ambassador has made a number of visits to Borno State, most recently last week.

The EU has also placed considerable emphasis on its immediate neighbourhood - Western Balkans, Turkey, and Middle East and North Africa – in responding to the threat posed by terrorism. Actions include finalising counter-terrorism action plans with Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, and Turkey and expanding the EU Counter Terrorism experts’ network to the Sahel and Western Balkans.

The EU’s approach is guided by the approach taken by the UN to countering terrorism and by the principles and measures set out in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, including those related to the financing of terrorism and the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters.

Ireland supports the comprehensive approach being taken at EU and UN levels level to preventing and countering terrorism. At meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council, we have stressed the need to tackle underlying factors that contribute to radicalisation and terrorism and in particular the importance of the link between security and development.