Minister Kitt prepares for visit to Sierra Leone and Liberia and announces large package of Irish Government humanitarian assistance

The Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights, Mr. Tom Kitt T.D., will visit Sierra Leone and Liberia from 8-11 March. Minister Kitt also announced today a new round of Government humanitarian assistance for developing countries affected by natural and man-made disasters, including Sierra Leone and Liberia. Over €10 million has been approved for food, water and other basic relief in the following countries: Afghanistan; Angola; Congo; Eritrea; Iraq; Iran; North Korea; Liberia; Malawi; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Sudan and Zimbabwe. Visit to Sierra Leone and Liberia: The objective of the Minister’s visit is to accelerate Ireland’s engagement in these two countries emerging from conflict. In Sierra Leone, Minister of State Kitt will hold meetings with the country’s President, Mr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the Vice President and key Ministers. He will also meet with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sierra Leone, as well as with non-governmental organisations and missionaries operating in the country. Since 2000, the Irish Government has provided over €9 million in assistance for Sierra Leone. In Liberia, Minister of State Kitt is scheduled to meet with Chairman Bryant of the Interim Government of Liberia and with key Government Ministers. He will meet with NGOs and missionaries in Monrovia and will also visit the 430-strong Irish army contingent serving with the United Nations Mission in Liberia. The visit follows the Reconstruction Conference on Liberia in New York last month, where Minister of State Kitt represented the EU and discussed the situation with the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. At the Reconstruction Conference, Ireland pledged bilateral assistance of €5 million for Liberia. Announcing the forthcoming visit, the Minister of State said: “The peace agreements now taking hold in Sierra Leone and Liberia offer a real opportunity for the international community to assist in the rehabilitation and recovery efforts. I believe that Ireland, as EU Presidency, is setting an example in terms of the quality of our assistance to the West Africa region. The purpose of my visit is to deepen our engagement even further and to support the considerable progress being made in the wake of the recent conflicts.” Humanitarian assistance: The announcement of new humanitarian and recovery assistance amounting to €10 million is in response to an unprecedented level of appeals for assistance in some of the world’s poorest countries. Commenting on the new assistance, Minister of State Kitt noted that: “This assistance reaffirms the Government’s commitment to providing lifesaving relief for the most vulnerable people in Africa and other areas experiencing crisis. I am pleased to be able to support the work of so many dedicated humanitarian organisations, including NGOs, the Red Cross, UN bodies, international relief agencies and local communities.” Top