Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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79. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the new steps that can be taken to address the refugee crisis in Syria and Iraq; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53493/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Through the EU, Ireland has long advocated for and supported the development of durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced persons, and in tackling the root causes of displacement.

Through our engagement with conflict-affected countries, refugee hosting countries and our EU counterparts, Ireland supports conflict resolution and development in Syria, Iraq and the wider region. The situation in Syria continues to be one of utmost concern. The conflict, which is now in its seventh year, has cost an estimated half a million lives. Over 13 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, including close to 3 million people trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. Over 6 million people are displaced internally, and a further 5.5 million have fled to neighbouring countries and the wider region. An end to the violence is urgently needed in order to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people. The peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria is a foreign policy priority for Ireland. Ireland fully supports the UN-led Geneva peace process and the work of UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura.

Ireland’s Overseas Development Aid (ODA) budget has consistently supported responses to humanitarian crises. In 2016, €194 million, more than one quarter of our ODA, was directed to humanitarian need, including support for the response to the crises in Syria and Iraq. Since 2012, Ireland has contributed over €90 million to the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis alone. Ireland has fulfilled its pledge to provide at least €25 million in humanitarian assistance to the region during 2017. Through our annual contributions to EU Institutions, Ireland also supports the EU’s humanitarian response to the Syria crisis, from which €445 million was contributed in 2016. The EU is also supporting the Turkey Refugee Facility in response to the almost 3 million refugees being hosted in that country. €3 billion has been committed to this by the EU between 2016 and 2019, with Ireland providing €22.9 million.

In 2015 the Government established the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) in response to the humanitarian crisis in Southern Europe as a due to mass migration and people fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. Under the terms of this programme, administered by the Department of Justice, Ireland has committed to accept up to 4,000 refugees from the region. To date, 1,502 people have already arrived with another 325 people expected to arrive in December and early in the New Year.

In Iraq, the UN estimates that 11 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, as the country begins to recover from the atrocities committed by Daesh. The current number of internally displaced persons requiring humanitarian assistance stands at almost 3.3 million, of which 1.6 million are living outside of camps in host communities. In addition, there are an estimated 240,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq. The EU is working to support the Iraqi government on stabilisation and reconciliation. In areas liberated from Daesh, the EU focuses on demining, the return of internally displaced persons and resilience. The EU supports an inclusive process of reconciliation, to build a common vision on the future of the country. Ireland has consistently called for inclusive democratic measures to allow for genuine national reconciliation, in order to create the environment for long-term viable stability in Iraq and the wider region.

Since 2014, Ireland has provided over €8 million in humanitarian assistance to Iraq, including €2 million in 2017 for the UN Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund.

Via our annual contributions to the EU budget, Ireland also supports the EU’s humanitarian response to the situation in Iraq, which amounts to €548 million since 2014.

The situations in both Syria and Iraq were discussed by EU Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday. At the Foreign Affairs Council in April of this year, EU Foreign Ministers agreed a new strategy for Syria. The EU is currently working on a new EU strategy for engagement with Iraq which will set out our priority actions for the period ahead.