Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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134. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps that will be taken to address the refugee crisis in Syria and Iraq; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14495/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The situation in Syria continues to be one of utmost concern. The conflict, which is now in its eighth year, has cost over 400,000 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. The recent increase in violence in Syria, in particular the vicious siege of Eastern Ghouta which has cost the lives of hundreds of civilians, underscores the extent to which an end to the violence is urgently needed in order to relieve the suffering of the Syrian people. Ireland fully supports the UN-led political negotiations to end the conflict based on the 2012 Geneva Communique and UN Security Council resolution 2254, which calls for an end to violence; release of political prisoners; formation of a transitional governing body with executive powers and a constitutional reform process. The EU provides direct assistance to the UN-led Geneva peace talks and has launched, in coordination with the UN, an initiative to develop political dialogue with key actors from the region to identify common ground. Ireland strongly welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2401 calling for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access on 24 February. However, the regime’s bombardment of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals and schools, has continued in defiance of this resolution. The international community must redouble efforts to press for the immediate and full implementation of the ceasefire, and unimpeded humanitarian access to populations in need.

Since 2012, Ireland has contributed over €95 million to the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis, including €25 million in 2017 alone. The EU and its Member States have to date mobilised more than €10.4 billion for humanitarian, stabilisation and resilience assistance inside Syria and in neighbouring countries, making the EU the largest single donor to the effort. The EU will host another donors’ conference for Syria in April of this year at which Ireland will announce its pledge to the humanitarian effort in response to the Syria crisis in 2018.

The EU is also supporting the Turkey Refugee Facility in response to the almost 3 million refugees being hosted in that country, and €3 billion has been committed to this by the EU between 2016 and 2019, with Ireland contributing €22.9 million. €15 million of this has already been provided to date.

In addition, Ireland is also supporting refugee hosting communities in Lebanon and Jordan. Ireland has already contributed €9.67 million in direct humanitarian assistance to Lebanon channelled through UN and NGO partners, and €5.89 million to Jordan through the Jordan Humanitarian Fund.

Under the terms of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), administered by the Department of Justice, Ireland has also committed to accept up to 4,000 refugees from the region. To date, almost 2,000 people have already arrived.

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 Da’esh. 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.

Since 2014, Ireland has provided over €10 million in humanitarian assistance to Iraq, including €2 million in 2018 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.

The situations in both Syria and Iraq were discussed by EU Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council on numerous occasions in recent months. At the Foreign Affairs Council in January, Foreign Ministers adopted the new EU strategy for engagement with Iraq, and initiated a formal exchange on migration with Iraq. EU Foreign Ministers discussed Syria at their informal meeting on 15 February, at the Foreign Affairs Council on 26 February, and again at Foreign Affairs Council on 19 March, at which they had a discussion with UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura.

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.