Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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447. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the adequacy of the international response to the situation regarding the Rohingya in Rakhine State, Myanmar (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45962/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am deeply concerned by the deterioration in the situation in Rakhine State, Myanmar, since attacks on security outposts in August 2017. There are widespread, credible reports of human rights abuses by the Myanmar security forces against the minority Rohingya people and around 600,000 refugees, mostly Rohingya, have fled to neighbouring countries, primarily Bangladesh.

The situation in Rakhine State has received considerable attention from the international community since this recent outbreak of violence. This has included discussions by the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council in recent months. During the HRC’s September session, the mandate of the UN Fact Finding Mission established earlier this year was extended and it will now examine allegations of human rights violations by the Myanmar security forces since August 2017. The EU has engaged in discussions in these fora and as well as bilaterally with the Government of Myanmar to stress the need to bring an end to the violence, to restore humanitarian and media access, to carry out an independent investigation of human rights abuses and to enable the safe and voluntary return of refugees.

The international response to the crisis has also sought to alleviate suffering and meet the immediate humanitarian needs of people displaced by violence in Rakhine State, especially those now in Bangladesh. The UN’s revised response plan for Bangladesh anticipates a humanitarian funding need of US $434 million over the next five months. To this end a Pledging Conference for the Rohingya Refugee Crisis was held in Geneva on 23 October, co-hosted by Kuwait and the EU, where Ireland pledged €2m in direct support.

In spite of the efforts of the international community to date, it remains clear that the situation has not improved significantly in Rakhine State, notably that humanitarian aid and media access to Rakhine State remain restricted and that refugees continue to arrive in Bangladesh. In this regard, Ireland will continue to press for international engagement on this issue, in line with the EU’s position which was elaborated in Conclusions adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council on 16 October. The Conclusions furthermore announced the suspension of invitations for all senior military officers from Myanmar, reaffirmed the EU arms embargo, and indicated that the Council may consider additional measures if the situation does not improve.

To bring about sustainable peace, long standing drivers of tensions between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim Rohingya communities of Rakhine State must be resolved. The report of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission provides a roadmap for peace building and development. Ireland, along with our partners in the international community, will continue to press for the full and swift implementation of the recommendations contained within this report.