Written answers
Thursday, 4 October 2018
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Humanitarian Aid Provision
Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
56. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the financial support given to the state of Palestine in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40522/18]
Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
For over two decades, successive Irish Governments have provided financial support to build the institutions of a Palestine State; to promote peace-building; and to meet the immediate needs of the Palestinian people.
Ireland provides development and humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Palestinian men, women and children, which will amount to almost €13 million in 2018. A key element of our programme is directed towards strengthening the ability of the Palestinian Authority to meet those needs. Enabling Palestinians to build institutions and provide essential public services is critical to laying the foundations for a future Palestinian State.
Ireland is one of five partners working directly with the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education and Higher Education to support them in delivering their Education Development Strategic Plan. Funding of €2.5 million will be provided this year to support the Ministry in providing better quality education services to more Palestinian children, which is crucial to Palestine’s long-term economic viability.
The provision of scholarship opportunities for Palestinian students to study in Ireland is also an important dimension of our engagement. In January this year, the Tánaiste announced an increase of €200,000 in scholarship funding for Palestinian students. This is a first step towards scaling up a scholarship programme for Palestinian students over the next five years.
Ireland also works to assist the Palestinian Authority in delivering essential public services in the West Bank and Gaza through a mechanism overseen by the European Commission, known as PEGASE. Our support, which will amount to €0.275 million in 2018, has been focused on the social development sector, enabling continued service delivery in the vital areas of health, education and social services. This support helps to strengthen the Authority’s ability to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Palestinian households.
Significant funding is also given to the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) so that they can continue to provide basic services such as food aid, education and health to some 5.3 million Palestine refugees. To date in 2018, Ireland has provided funding totalling €7 million for UNRWA’s Programme Budget and Emergency Appeals in Gaza and Syria. This is an increase of €1.5 million on the 2017 allocation, making this year’s contribution Ireland’s highest ever.
Ireland will also provide support in 2018 to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), the West Bank Protection Consortium and civil society organisations working to promote human rights and peacebuilding. In addition, preliminary work is underway to allow for a significant capital project, providing solar power to the NGEST water treatment plant in Gaza, to move to construction during 2019.
Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
57. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if, further to the increased direct funding to UNRWA already announced, he will also increase funding to grassroots and community groups. [40529/18]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
Ireland’s support for the Palestinian people, which so far this year amounts to almost €13 million, includes support for human rights NGOs and civil society organisations involved in a range of humanitarian, development and peacebuilding programmes.
Ireland has for many years been working to maintain a focus on the justice and human rights issues affecting Palestinians on the ground. A number of Palestinian and Israeli organisations who monitor human rights violations and promote greater accountability by both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities receive Irish funds – a total of €645,000 will be provided to these organisations in 2018.
In 2017, Ireland joined the European Commission-led West Bank Protection Consortium, underlining our commitment to reducing the vulnerability of Palestinian communities living in Area C of the West Bank. The Consortium has played a leading role in supporting threatened communities and coordinating the provision of essential services, including material assistance and legal aid. Funding of €200,000 was provided to the Consortium in 2018. A further €75,000 will be provided this year to support the Israeli-Palestinian NGO, COMET-ME, which provides potable water and solar power to isolated communities at risk in the West Bank.
Ireland also supports initiatives in the area of peacebuilding, aimed in particular at sharing lessons and inspiration from the Northern Ireland peace process. A total of €220,000 will be provided to organisations working in Israel and Palestine for peacebuilding programmes in 2018.
In addition, two of Ireland’s key NGO partners, Trócaire and Christian Aid, allocate a portion of their overall Irish Aid funding for work with Palestinian and Israeli civil society organisations which are also involved in a range of humanitarian, development and peace building programmes. A total of over €1 million has been allocated for these programmes in 2018.
Ireland is committed to continuing support to civil society organisations as part of our overall programme of support to the Palestinian people. Further funding levels will be considered in the context of the overall budget allocation available to the overseas development programme in 2019.
No comments