Written answers

Thursday, 30 September 2021

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Foreign Conflicts

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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13. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on the assistance his Department has provided to date in respect of the crisis that has unfolded in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46837/21]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland and our EU partners remain committed to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and to supporting the Afghan people. We continue to engage on the Afghanistan crisis at international level.

As the President of the UN Security Council for the month of September, Ireland chaired a meeting on Afghanistan on 9 September. In our national statement, I placed a strong emphasis on full and safe humanitarian access and on the importance of human rights, including the rights of Afghan women, girls and minorities.

Ireland engaged extensively on the extension of the mandate for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) that was agreed on 17 September, to facilitate continued UN operations in Afghanistan - including coordinating humanitarian relief.

At EU level, Foreign Ministers have agreed Council Conclusions that set out five key benchmarks to inform the EU’s engagement with any future Afghan Government.

There has also been close international cooperation and coordination on evacuation efforts.  A total of 58 Irish citizens and dependents have safely evacuated from Afghanistan since mid-August, including with the support of the Emergency Civil Assistance Team which I approved. My Department continues to liaise with partners, including those with a presence on the ground, to explore and utilise safe options for the exit of Irish citizens and Afghans who are resident in Ireland – so that they can return home.

In addition, approximately 370 at-risk Afghan citizens have been offered refugee status in Ireland under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme – as managed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability Integration and Youth. Approximately 150 participants in this Programme have reached Ireland to date or are expected to arrive shortly. The Department of Justice is also working to facilitate family reunification visas.

Addressing the worsening humanitarian situation remains a priority for Ireland. My Department has provided €1m to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for urgent support in and around Afghanistan. We have also this week approved an additional €2m, half of which will go to UNICEF and half to the UNOCHA Afghanistan Humanitarian fund. This follows over €2 million in humanitarian funding we had already provided this year, bringing Ireland's total donation to €5 million for 2021. We have also contributed to the response through joint UN and EU mechanisms.

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