Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, TD, and Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy, TD, today announced a contribution of €10 million in core funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Announcing the funding, Minister Coveney said:
“The ICRC is one of the key pillars of the global humanitarian response to armed conflict. We can be proud of Ireland’s record of consistent and flexible support to its work.
“I have met with ICRC President, Peter Maurer, on three occasions over the past year. I greatly value the ICRC’s work and the commitment of its staff, whether in high-profile crises like Syria or Myanmar, or in less well-known crises like those in the Central African Republic or northern Mozambique.”
Ireland’s contribution of core funding will support the ICRC in its work worldwide, which spans over a hundred countries experiencing conflict or other situations of violence.
Minister Brophy noted:
“All too often, armed conflict can cut people off from life-saving humanitarian aid. The ICRC, thanks to its unique history and its unwavering commitment to humanitarian principles, is often the only actor that can reach those people.
“Ireland’s support to the ICRC is a clear manifestation of our commitment to reaching the furthest behind first, in particular people displaced by conflict, people living in areas under the control of non-State armed groups, or people in detention.”
The ICRC is also the guardian of international humanitarian law, the body of law that regulates armed conflict. In this regard, Minister Brophy added:
“Our partnership with the ICRC goes beyond simply responding to humanitarian need. War always takes a toll on civilians, but respect for international humanitarian law can help to prevent and mitigate its impact. The ICRC’s promotion of international humanitarian law is indispensable to our goal of reducing humanitarian need around the world.”
ENDS
Press Office
1 June 2021
Notes to Editors
- The ICRC is an independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. It directs and coordinates the international activities of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in armed conflicts and other situations of violence worldwide.
- The work of the ICRC is mandated under international law, specifically by the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols.
- In 2021, the ICRC’s largest projected operations in terms of budget are Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Iraq, and Nigeria.
- Ireland’s total funding to the ICRC since 2006 is over €130 million. This included €15.7 million in funding in 2020, including core funding, and funding for the ICRC’s operations in the Sahel, Syria, and Mozambique.
- Ireland signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ICRC in February 2021, committing to provide a minimum of €10 million in core funding in 2021 and 2022. This provision of flexible and unearmarked funding is an important part of Ireland’s commitment to good humanitarian donorship, enabling the ICRC to direct resources where they are most needed and to adapt to emerging crises, as was the case in 2020 due to COVID-19.
- In 2021, Ireland will also provide dedicated funding of: (i) €2 million to the ICRC’s work in West Africa (Mali, Niger, Chad, and Burkina Faso); (ii) €2.5m for its work in Syria; and (iii) €600,000 for its work in Mozambique.