Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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165. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions taken by the Government to support women and girls in Afghanistan. [50688/26]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the commitment in "Securing Ireland's Future", Ireland continues to play an active role in seeking to maintain EU and international attention on the appalling human rights and Humanitarian situation within Afghanistan and, in particular, the deplorable restrictions imposed by the Taliban on Afghan women and girls.

In line with our active engagement on this issue, senior officials from my Department met with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, in May to discuss Human Rights and humanitarian issues in Afghanistan. Senior officials also met with the EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Gilles Bertrand, in Brussels in June.

Since January 2020, Ireland has provided over €20 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan through the Irish Aid programme. So far, in 2026, Ireland has provided €3 million to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund and another €1.5 million to support the UNHCR Afghanistan Situation Response including support to Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan and provided a further €400,000 to Concern Worldwide to support its response in Afghanistan. For the 2025-2026 term, Ireland has also joined the Advisory Board of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. Ireland will include Afghanistan within its Presidency of the Council of the EU’s humanitarian focus, by fostering discussion on the situation and raising awareness of the continuing, neglected humanitarian crisis.

Since 2021, Ireland has welcomed over 700 refugees from Afghanistan under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), administered by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. The Humanitarian Admissions Programme for 2026 is expected to commence shortly.

Along with other EU Partners, Ireland played a lead role in pressing for the establishment of an Independent Investigative Mechanism on Afghanistan at the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council. We will continue working with UN Special Rapporteur Bennett to ensure that this new mechanism is established and made operational as quickly as possible in order to try and help deliver much needed accountability to the people of Afghanistan.

I believe that the ongoing dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan clearly warrants a political level discussion within the Foreign Affairs Council and would support such a discussion taking place, if agreement to do so can be found. Ireland will also continue, including as EU Presidency, actively to support the role of the EU, through its Special Envoy for Afghanistan, and the UN-led Doha process. in working to address the human rights and humanitarian situation In Afghanistan. Ireland will also remain active in ensuring all possible pressure is maintained to bring about improvements in the dire political, economic and humanitarian situation confronting the Afghan people, in particular Afghanistan’s women and girls.