Irish Aid Annual Report Shows 50% Increase In Humanitarian Funding

Launching the Annual Report, which highlights Ireland's contribution to global humanitarian response efforts, Minister Power said: "The new Rapid Response Corps now forms an integral part of our aid effort.

"Improving our response to international humanitarian emergencies was at the forefront of Irish Aid's work in 2007; a year in which we responded more swiftly, more flexibly and with greater innovation than ever before.  The Rapid Response Corps has been deployed in 14 countries to date."

Last year Irish Aid provided over €140 million to meet the needs of people affected by humanitarian crises in over 45 countries. This represents a 50% increase in funding from the previous year and places Ireland as the world's fifth most generous humanitarian donor per capita.

Continuing, the Minister noted that: "The Rapid Response Initiative means that we have never been in a better position to assist in saving lives and alleviating the suffering of the most vulnerable people, during and in the aftermath of humanitarian crises."

As part of the Rapid Response Initiative, a Rapid Response Corps of humanitarian experts was established to assist in international responses to disasters.

In 2007, 52 volunteers were trained for the Corps and its members were deployed to carry out emergency response work in Somalia, Sri Lanka and Mozambique. Stockpiles of essential relief supplies, stored in the Curragh and Brindisi, Italy, were disbursed to emergency responses in Sudan, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Mali and Uganda, and in response to the Peru earthquake.

Recently deployed members of the Rapid Response Corps attended the launch and were thanked by Minister Power for their contribution to life-saving humanitarian work.

In 2007, Irish Aid also introduced a pilot funding scheme to assist our main NGO partners to respond more rapidly to international emergencies. The initiative provides Concern, Trócaire and Goal with their own rapid response fund which they can immediately access following an emergency.