Ministers meet with Irish Aid Agencies to discuss alleviation of suffering and distress in Kosovo
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. David Andrews TD, and the Minister of State, Ms. Liz O'Donnell TD, met today with representatives of the various Irish Aid Agencies, including the UNHCR and UNICEF. The meeting follows the recent decision by the Government to allocate IR£ 2 million to help alleviate the suffering and distress of Kosovan refugees.
The meeting provided a useful opportunity to assess the humanitarian needs of people in the region and for the Aid Agencies to talk about their activities and operations on the ground. The Ministers stressed that our priority must be to help these people by providing food, shelter and medicines and that we must ensure a coordinated and effective response to their needs. Minister Andrews will attend a special meeting of Foreign Ministers tomorrow in Luxembourg which will assess the political situation in Kosovo and examine the continuing humanitarian needs of people in the region.
