Written answers

Tuesday, 10 May 2022

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Foreign Policy

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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454. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community has made commitments and kept them in respect of various disaster areas throughout the globe; the actions that have been taken to ensure an active and positive response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23434/22]

Photo of Colm BrophyColm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Conflict, climate change and COVID have combined to increase the need for humanitarian assistance, with the international response increasing from €20.65 billion to a record €27.85 billion in the period 2017-2021.Last year, this support meant that over 107 million people across 38 countries received food, medicine and other life-saving assistance.

Ireland is playing our part in the global response to humanitarian need, ranking among the top 20 humanitarian donors.  Last year, Irish Aid supported humanitarian assistance and protection in countries and regions in need including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and the Sahel. Responding to evolving circumstances over the course of 2021, Irish Aid humanitarian support to Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Mozambique and Venezuela increased over the course of the year.

Ireland also responds to natural disasters, which last year included the assistance to the those affected by the volcanic eruption in St.Vincent and Grenadines, the earthquake in Haiti and Typhoon Rai in the Philippines.

Our assistance is guided by regular humanitarian updates from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on evolving humanitarian needs.  These updates also help us track the delivery of humanitarian assistance.  This information helps ensure that Irish Aid reaches those most in need.

Ireland is among the 64 donors which has signed up to a series of actions intended to make humanitarian assistance more effective and efficient, an initiative known as the Grand Bargain and which also includes key humanitarian actors such as UN agencies, the Red Cross Family and NGOs. In line with the Grand Bargain, donors are providing more flexible funding that allows partners to respond rapidly to needs as they arise. The Grand Bargain also promotes better data collection to more effectively target those most in need - particularly women, girls and people living with disabilities. 

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