Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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406. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 79 of 23 March 2022, the status of any bilateral engagement he has had with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia with a view to bringing about an end to the war in Yemen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22943/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Yemen is one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, driven by seven years of conflict, economic collapse and the breakdown of public institutions and services which has left millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance.

Ireland fully supports the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, to bring about a political resolution to the conflict in Yemen. I have held discussions with Special Envoy Grundberg as well as Major General Michael Beary, head of the United Nations Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement.

I have engaged extensively with the countries of the region, including in direct talks with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Deputy Foreign Minister al-Jubeir.

At the end of April I wrote to Saudi Foreign Minister Al Saud to acknowledge the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the GCC in hosting intra-Yemeni talks in Riyadh in March and April and to welcome the humanitarian funding pledged by Saudi Arabia for 2022. I welcomed the truce which was brokered by the UN on 2 April, and expressed our hope that all parties will use this opportunity to engage in dialogue, and bring about a permanent cessation of violence.

In addition to significant diplomatic efforts, Ireland has been a consistent and reliable donor to Yemen and has contributed over €37 million in humanitarian funding since 2015, including a commitment of €5 million for 2022 which I pledged on behalf of Ireland at the Pledging Conference for Yemen on 16 March. Ireland also contributes to the crisis in Yemen as an EU Member State. Since 2015, the EU has contributed over €1.2 billion, including €827 million in humanitarian aid and €407 million in development assistance.

Ireland will continue to support all efforts to end the terrible conflict in Yemen, including through direct engagement with Saudi Arabia and other regional actors and in the context of our position on the UN Security Council.