THE Irish Government has committed more than €15m in funding to provide humanitarian aid to embattled nations across the Middle East.
Diaspora Minister Neale Richmond announced financial support for a range of projects today, including €6m to the UN for Yemen, €1m to the UN High Commission for Refugees for Lebanon, €1m for UNICEF’s work in Jordan and €7.7m for UNICEF, to support its work globally.
“The situation across the Middle East remains dangerous and volatile,” the Minister said.
“Last week, I visited the UAE and had a number of bilateral discussions with ministerial colleagues on how we can provide more support for the people of Gaza who are facing unimaginable conditions,” he explained.
“Humanitarian support for the people of Gaza has been and is a top priority for the Tánaiste and the Irish Government.”
So far this year, Ireland has provided €29m in support to the people of Palestine.
Further announcements of support are expected to be made in the coming weeks.
“I will announce further humanitarian support for crises across the region,” Mr Richmond said todat.
“These humanitarian announcements demonstrate Ireland’s commitment to the furthest behind first and shows our global aid footprint across the Middle East.”
He added: “We support the UN and the multilateral system.
“We are working to ensure that the UN system is reformed and ready to meet the complex crises we face today.
“Our confidence and support is demonstrated by core funding we provide to the agencies in which we have great trust, including UNICEF, the agency for children, which is continuing its heroic work in Gaza and other conflicts.”