Disaster Response
Seanad Éireann — 2023-02-09
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Alice-Mary Higgins (IND), National University of Ireland

The Minister of State mentioned the incredible bravery of the humanitarian workers who are in the area. We also witnessed scenes such as the seven-year old girl protecting her brother's head for 17 hours. Humanitarian workers are working at great danger to themselves and, therefore, it behoves us to think about those who would have us turn our back on those in need, our fellow humanity. Each person is precious and is part of our common hope and responsibility. I am concerned that after the immediate response, we may see a pulling away. We saw the amount of European resources, for example, that have gone into building a wall between Türkiye and Syria. The border crossing issue is significant in the context of humanitarian resources being able to cross. Could the Minister of State address that issue and ensure there will be sustained and increased support? He mentioned the standing support for the UNCERF, and I mentioned the UNRWA. They will need additional funds given the scale of this disaster. Could he also comment on the diplomatic engagement to ensure that a border blockage does not arise for humanitarian aid accessing northern Syria in particular?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2023-02-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:51:33+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-02-09