Irish Aid assistance for “forgotten emergencies”

Conor Lenihan TD, Minister of State for Irish Aid, today announced important funding for on-going humanitarian emergencies. A considerable portion of the funding package (total €6 million) will go to emergencies not receiving international attention, frequently referred to as “the forgotten emergencies”.

“It is particularly important that the international community should not turn its back on those humanitarian crises which, while no longer appearing on our television screens, continue to cause very real hardship and suffering - particularly for the most vulnerable people in the most vulnerable of countries” Minister Lenihan said announcing the funding package.

The funding announced today will help communities around the world, who are recovering from natural disasters and other crises, such as war and economic collapse. The Minister went on to say:

“I would like to pay a special tribute to those with Irish Aid and with the Irish NGO community who are working to help the world's most vulnerable people over the festive period”.

Note to editors:

The funding will be distributed through Irish NGOs (including GOAL, Concern and the Irish Red Cross) as well as through established UN partner agencies like UNICEF and UNHCR. Making the announcement, Minister Lenihan highlighted a number of programmes being funded under this package:

• Niger where the Irish Red Cross is launching a major humanitarian recovery programme, boosting the capacity of local organisations to respond to food crises;
• Zimbabwe where the economy has almost collapsed and where GOAL and UNICEF are implementing major programmes to assist vulnerable communities in withstanding the effects of this on-going crisis;
• Sierra Leone where the UN is developing a major emergency youth employment scheme both to address real issues of poverty and to provide some level of income for the huge numbers of recently demobilised militia members; and
• North Korea where CONCERN continues to do much valuable work among the poorest of the poor, who routinely suffer from drastic food shortages.

ENDS +++

30 December 2006

Press Office