Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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105. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which humanitarian abuse, war and starvation has been noted by the international community at various locations globally to date; the extent to which aid is directed at such locations; the efficacy of this aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48662/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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107. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which the international community is geared to respond to various disasters globally from natural disasters to war; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48664/17]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 107 together.

The international community is currently challenged by the scale of humanitarian crises globally resulting from war, conflict, drought, famine and natural disasters. Over 145 million people in 39 countries around the world are now in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The UN estimates that a record $24.1 billion is needed this year to respond effectively to these needs.

The UN has identified the emergencies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as particularly complex crises in conflict situations which have resulted in significant displacement, food insecurity, rising malnutrition levels and serious concerns for the protection of civilians. Coordinated responses from the international community are required in order to deal effectively with complex crises such as these.

Despite a huge gap between the total requirements of the UN-coordinated appeals and the funding received, the international community’s coordinated response can and is working. For example, the international community provided more than $2.4 billion in humanitarian support this year to address the four famines then threatening more than 20 million people across South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen. While a severe threat remains, the relief efforts coordinated by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) saved lives and alleviated imminent famine. Ireland provided €2.9 million in core funding this year to OCHA. Such funding not only supports OCHA’s core function of coordination of humanitarian response, but enables it to manage a number of UN humanitarian pooled fund mechanisms including the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Ireland is a strong supporter of this mechanism, which enables the quick provision of funding to humanitarian responders whenever and wherever crises hit. Ireland is the sixth largest donor to the CERF in 2017.

To respond effectively and in a timely manner to the unprecedented level of demands facing the international community, Ireland provided more than €194 million for humanitarian assistance in 2016. Our assistance is focused on where needs are greatest, providing support to the most vulnerable and hard to reach populations. We remain committed to responding in a timely and effective manner to the most severe humanitarian crises and emergencies, in particular to protracted and forgotten crises. However, we recognise that the provision of humanitarian aid alone is not the answer. Humanitarian need will continue to rise unless durable solutions are found to the conflicts driving the great majority of humanitarian crises. Ireland will focus our efforts on supporting the international system to find peaceful political solutions to war and violence. At the same time, we will continue to work to ensure faster and more effective delivery of humanitarian aid.