Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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121. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount in funding Ireland contributed to the United Nations in each of the years 2000 and 2020 by United Nations agency or body. [29893/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Charter of the United Nations foresees that each Member State of the United Nations will contribute to the costs of running the organisation, generally referred to as UN budget contributions. Under Article 17, mandatory contributions are apportioned based on a scale of assessment designed to reflect the capacity of Member States to pay. 

At present, Ireland’s scale of assessment is 0.371% of the overall UN Budget.  In 2020, Ireland paid just over €30 million in contributions to the United Nations budget, this includes funding to the UN Regular Budget, UN Peacekeeping Missions and UN Tribunals. In 2010 the amount for these budget lines was just over €43million.

The Department of Foreign Affairs provides funding to the United Nations as part of Ireland’s Official Development Assistance programme, known as Irish Aid, each year.  The Department publishes an annual report on Ireland's Official Development Assistance (ODA). The report includes statistical information on programme expenditure in a series of annexes which lays out the distribution of aid, including the amounts given to United Nations organisations. It also includes ODA payments to the United Nations made by other Departments.

In 2019, the annual report indicates that over €152 million was provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs to United Nations organisations – a more detailed breakdown has been provided within the report annexes (see P.12). The published report for 2010 also provides information on funding allocations to United Nations organisations.

With regard to figures for 2020, validation of data on Ireland’s ODA programme is done in arrears, and prior to publication, draft statistical returns are shared with the relevant OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) experts for assurance that Ireland's reported spending meets the DAC's criteria to be counted as ODA.  This assurance is important to maintaining Ireland's reputation as a quality donor. Total figures and country level aggregates for 2020 are being finalised and will be published in the 2020 ODA Annual Report later this year.

It has not been possible to access data for the year 2000 as it would necessitate attendance in the office, which has been restricted in line with Covid-19 protocols.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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122. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland's contributions to UNWRA have been found to have funded anti-Semitic, anti-Christian and or fundamentalist content. [29894/21]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is a longstanding supporter of the vital work undertaken by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  UNRWA provides essential services, including healthcare, education and humanitarian relief, to 5.7 million registered Palestine refugees, 1.4 million of whom are in Gaza.

So far this year, Ireland has disbursed a total of €7 million in funding to UNRWA. This includes an initial disbursement of €5 million to support UNRWA’s 2021 Programme Budget, of which €1,000,000 was allocated to support refugees in Lebanon; and €1,000,000 in support of UNRWA’s Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal.  On 19 May, an additional contribution of €1 million was allocated to assist the Agency in providing emergency food, water and sanitation supplies, as well as health and psychosocial services to the people of Gaza following the recent hostilities.

Ireland engages with the agency on an ongoing basis, including as an active member of its Advisory Commission.  Ireland's Representative Office in Ramallah liaises with other international donors in respect of the agency and its operations. UNRWA has a zero tolerance policy with regard to all forms of racism, anti-Semitism, or incitement to hatred or violence. Continued Irish policy engagement and funding to UNRWA will continue to be an important element of our overall support to the Palestinian people.