Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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73. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the most vulnerable locations globally to which Irish aid continues to be directed; the success of such operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53486/17]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Government’s Policy for International Development, “One World, One Future” make explicit Ireland’s commitment to work in support of lasting benefits for the most vulnerable and poorest communities around the world.

Ireland’s international development programme maintains a strong focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, and on other countries where the need is greatest. In 2016, over half of Ireland’s bilateral ODA was directed to Least Developed Countries. In the same year, eight of the top ten recipient countries of Irish development assistance were in Africa – seven of which are classified as fragile by the OECD Development Assistance Committee.

Ireland is also committed to providing support to people and countries experiencing humanitarian crises. In 2016, more than one quarter of Ireland’s overseas development aid was spent on humanitarian response. It is anticipated that by the end of 2017 approximately one quarter of Ireland’s ODA will again have been disbursed in direct response to crisis and conflict. A Country Categorisation of Needs method which ranks crises according to risk and needs is used to ensure that our humanitarian response is focused on areas where need is greatest.

All countries in the broader Horn of Africa region - apart from Djibouti - currently fall within Categories 1 and 2, the categories where the greatest need has been identified. As a result, Ireland provides substantial humanitarian assistance to South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

In addition, significant resources are committed to vulnerable and crisis affected communities in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Forgotten crises, such as in Chad, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are also prioritised for support.

High standards of accountability are continually maintained to ensure that Irish development assistance continues to have transformative impacts. Programmes in receipt of funding are subject to regular monitoring to ensure intended results are being achieved and resources have been used appropriately.

Full details of the distribution of our aid, and the results achieved, are published each year in our Annual Report. The 2016 Annual Report is available at www.irishaid.ie.