Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the disputed territory of Western Sahara; the EU position on this territory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51317/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland and the EU recognise the United Nation’s classification of Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. We fully support the ongoing UN efforts to assist the parties in reaching a lasting political resolution to the dispute in Western Sahara.

Ireland supports the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, but does not have a view on the outcome of that decision, be it independence, integration, autonomy, or some other solution – so long as it is decided in a genuine exercise of self-determination. While Ireland does not recognise the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, the state declared by the Polisario Front, we do recognise the Polisario Front as a party to the dispute, and my officials meet regularly with its representatives to seek their views on the current situation.

On 31 October 2018, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2440 on Western Sahara, extending the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for a six-month period. In extending the mandate, the Security Council also called upon all the concerned parties to demonstrate political will to advance the negotiations towards an enduring political solution.

The Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Horst Köhler, has conducted extensive stakeholder consultations in recent months. These consultations have resulted in the roundtable meeting on Western Sahara which is being held in Geneva this week, with representatives from Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania. I welcome this meeting as a very positive step by all the parties participating, and I hope that it will lead to the renewal of the negotiations process. I call on all parties to engage in good faith with the UN Envoy’s mediation process, which Ireland fully supports. This is the only path towards a sustainable resolution of the conflict which is mutually acceptable, and provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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69. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the situation in South Sudan; the efforts being made by Ireland, the EU and the international community to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51318/18]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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South Sudan continues to endure a terrible humanitarian crisis, primarily the consequence of conflict. I am deeply concerned by the continued high level of violence, and by reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, which perpetuate the crisis and impact negatively on its scale.

The current conflict began in 2013 and has had devastating consequences for civilians. The war, compounded by drought, has led to severe food insecurity and caused massive population displacement and suffering throughout the country, with women and girls suffering the most. More than 400,000 people have died and an estimated 7 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance.

On 12 September last, the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, signed a peace agreement with the opposition. While this peace agreement has the potential to mark a new departure, it is critical that South Sudan’s leaders implement it without delay. Achieving lasting peace will require sustained effort and commitment as well as a genuinely inclusive approach to building the future South Sudan.

Ireland strongly supports efforts to build peace in South Sudan. In November 2017, during his visit to Addis Ababa, the Tánaiste met representatives of IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and the African Union to discuss the situation in South Sudan. On that visit, the Tánaiste announced funding to the IGAD High Level Revitalisation Forum, the process which delivered the revised peace agreement. Ireland will continue to support IGAD’s work on monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the agreement in 2019.

Our Embassy in Addis Ababa, which is accredited to South Sudan, monitors the situation and engages with local, regional and international parties on an ongoing basis. The Irish Ambassador in Addis Ababa visits Juba frequently where she meets with key government, UN, NGO, Red Cross and diplomatic partners, including the EU Delegation. Her most recent visit took place last week.

We are committed to supporting efforts towards peace in South Sudan and have contributed to projects aimed at peacebuilding. In 2018, this has included supporting partners’ meditation efforts and empowering civil society, in particular women’s groups, to facilitate their engagement in peace processes. As well as our direct bilateral support, we are actively involved in the efforts of the EU to support peace in South Sudan. Two officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been seconded to the EU Delegation in South Sudan, including one as Head of Mission. The EU Delegation is strongly supportive of the peace process, in particular by providing support to the implementing and monitoring bodies of the peace agreement. The Tánaiste discussed these efforts with the EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, Alexander Rondos, when he visited Dublin on 7 November.

While a sustained resolution to the conflict is the ultimate goal, we have a duty now to deal with immediate humanitarian needs. Since 2012, Ireland has provided €61 million in direct humanitarian assistance to South Sudan. Over €10 million in Irish funding has been provided so far this year, including to Irish NGOs to assist them in reaching the most vulnerable. Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Oxfam, Trócaire and World Vision, with support from Irish Aid, are working in partnership with local organisations and NGO networks to provide lifesaving supplies to meet the basic needs of those suffering from the conflict.

As well as this direct bilateral aid, Ireland has also contributed significantly to humanitarian support in South Sudan through the multilateral system. Ireland is a significant contributor to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund, which has allocated $187 million to alleviate the crisis in South Sudan since 2011, as well as to the EU, which has provided more than €90 million so far this year.

With humanitarian needs likely to remain acute in 2019, Irish funding will continue to support both those in need inside South Sudan as well as South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries.