Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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26. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community has intervened to address issues of war, famine, starvation, genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Horn of Africa; the effect of this intervention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48437/17]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Ireland, in particular through EU and UN structures, continues to support efforts to address issues of war, famine, starvation, genocide and ethnic cleansing around the globe, including in the Horn of Africa.

The humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa continues to deteriorate. Primarily due to drought, millions of people across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are facing crisis levels of food insecurity. In South Sudan, conflict continues to exacerbate the already desperate situation, and while the famine declared in parts of the country earlier this year has been alleviated as a result of the international community’s response, 6 million people are still severely food insecure.

Our Government is strongly committed to responding to the unprecedented humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa. During his recent visit to the region, Minister Coveney announced additional assistance to the Horn totaling €11 million, bringing Ireland’s humanitarian assistance to the region to over €138 million since 2012. We continue to monitor the situation through our embassies on the ground and our humanitarian partners, and we will continue to respond.

We also are the fifth largest contributor to the Central Emergency Response Fund in 2017. This UN managed fund has already contributed $118 million to the region this year – almost 30% of the total CERF 2017 allocation.

Ireland remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance where it is needed most, working with partners who ensure that assistance is delivered in a coordinated and effective manner. However, we also recognise that humanitarian aid alone is not the answer. We will continue to focus our efforts on supporting the international system to address the issues driving humanitarian need.