Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is committed to providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the most effective way possible.

In keeping with the Principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship, which underpin the Irish Aid partnership approach to humanitarian action, Irish Aid provides predictable, often long-term, funding, to a range of partners, including NGOs and UN agencies like the WHO and the Red Cross Movement, who are currently positioning themselves to respond to the crisis on the basis of need.  The Irish Aid funding model for humanitarian action was found by the OECD in a 2020 review to be a 'useful inspiration for other donors.'  The model employed provides a quality-assured resourcing base series of activities, from which partners can then fundraise.

The Irish Aid programme's multi-annual funding relationships with pre-qualified development and humanitarian NGOs enables them to plan their interventions, including humanitarian response, over a number of years. In addition to this long-term funding, our Irish NGO partners can apply directly to the Emergency Response Fund Scheme (ERFS), enabling them to respond in a timely, predictable, and effective manner to emerging humanitarian crises, such as that in Ukraine. 

Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, €20 million in Irish Aid funding has been committed to trusted humanitarian partners playing key roles in delivering life-saving assistance on the ground in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.  We have allocated funding to partners best positioned to deliver on the ground immediately.

Among those partners are the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), who are working to ensure, in spite of the access challenges, the continued availability of health care services and the delivery of medicines throughout Ukraine.  Specific Irish Aid funding has also been made available to the WHO, to enable the delivery of essential medical supplies to Ukraine.

In addition, the HSE, working with the Irish Aid team, and responding to a request from Ukraine, has sent medical supplies, including blood bags, protective suits, masks and disinfectants, to Ukraine via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM).  The EUCP is coordinating the supply and delivery of support across all EU Member States to ensure the fast and targeted provision of what is needed most.

Ireland contributes to global funds and provides core funding to key agencies that are allocating funding to Ukraine, including WHO, OCHA, UNHCR, IFRC, ICRC and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).   The core funding - essentially prepositioned money - has enabled our partners to respond immediately to the crisis without waiting for additional donor support.  By way of example, the CERF has allocated €55 million to Ukraine since the invasion - Ireland is one of the top ten donors to the CERF.

Irish Aid is also supporting local civil society organisations in their work providing vital life-saving care and other health services via UN OCHA’s Humanitarian Fund.