Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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12. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland is contributing to the World Bank IDA Crisis Facility Special Programme for Ukraine and Moldova; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40326/24]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Devlin. It is about Ireland's contribution to the World Bank IDA crisis facility special programme for Ukraine and Moldova.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Two and a half years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine continues to face immense challenges. With the Taoiseach, I recently announced a €36 million package of support for Ukraine and its immediate neighbours, which builds on the extensive political, humanitarian, military and economic support provided since February 2022. It will provide much-needed humanitarian support and development assistance to people suffering the impact of this unjust war.

Our approach has been to provide support bilaterally and through multilateral organisations to meet ongoing humanitarian needs and assist progress towards early recovery and eventual reconstruction. Ireland has provided €3 million to the World Bank IDA crisis facility special programme for Ukraine and Moldova, SPUR. SPUR represents one half of a larger IDA crisis facility aimed at addressing the urgent needs arising from overlapping global crises in the immediate region and the wider region. There is a particular focus on food insecurity and extreme climate events, which have been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. The programme finances reconstruction and recovery investments in Ukraine and complements ongoing efforts by multilateral and bilateral partners. It also provides additional resources to Moldova, which continues to host a large refugee population from Ukraine.

The special programme for Ukraine and Moldova works as a complementary channel to other World Bank programmes, which Ireland has funded, including the public expenditures for administrative capacity endurance facility and the Ukraine relief, recovery, reconstruction and reform trust fund. The World Bank currently estimates the overall reconstruction bill at $486 billion over the next decade, a figure which undoubtedly rises each day. Overall, Ireland has committed €380 million in assistance to the Ukrainian people since February 2022, including €130 million in stabilisation and humanitarian support and €250 million in non-lethal military assistance under the European Peace Facility.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The figure I had was $411 billion. The fact the Tánaiste said $486 billion suggests that things are going in the wrong direction as regards Ukraine's ability to finance its recovery. The gap for borrowing will be something that we will all have to deal with globally and internationally over the coming decade, as the Tánaiste said. SPUR is a crisis facility, which will focus on reconstruction, particularly critical infrastructure. As the Tánaiste knows, there have been many attacks by the Russians on power stations, bridges and dams.

The Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, referenced housing. In terms of Ireland's overall contribution to modular housing in the Ukrainian context, will the Tánaiste give us an idea of the initial number, if he has it, for what we are providing and what is projected for the future?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for what he said. The figure we have is $486 billion over the next decade. That figure rises every day. I mentioned the nature of modern warfare. It is entirely destructive. Rulers are now targeting civilian and energy infrastructure, houses, schools, hospitals and so forth.

Ireland has engaged in discussions on short-term recovery efforts in preparation for a successful longer term reconstruction effort. We were represented by the Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs at the 2024 Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin in June, where there was a strong emphasis on supporting Ukraine's EU perspective. Ireland also announced that we would join the German-led alliance on gender responsive and inclusive recovery through which we will commit to integrating a gendered perspective into our funding and resources and support gender equality, with women's protection, participation and empowerment as priority objectives.

On the housing front, we have already made significant contributions through the Ukrainian humanitarian fund. Some time back, some of my officials visited housing projects that we have supported, which have made a significant impact. We have also worked for the construction of bomb shelters in schools in Ukraine. We are doing everything we can in the short term to deal with those humanitarian aspects, especially on the housing front.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will follow up with two quick supplementaries on the area of gender-based violence and the supports that will be given to victims of rape and sexual abuse during the conflict. Will the Tánaiste comment on that? As I mentioned to the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, what has been done in the conflict is particularly heinous in respect of children. I did not realise it was to the extent of 20,000 children, which the Minister of State said. Will the Tánaiste give us his thoughts on that?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I have a brief supplementary. I thank the Tánaiste for his responses. Many of us have a concern, before we even start reconstructing Ukraine and Moldova, regarding the survival of the democratic structures of Moldova, which is currently being undermined by Russia.

I would be interested to hear the Tánaiste's view on what we are doing to support democratic structures in Moldova in particular.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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My question is along the same lines. Is there consensus throughout the European Union on its dealings with and attitudes to Moldova and Ukraine at present given that each member state is also a sovereign country?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy O'Sullivan and the other Deputies for raising the question. There is concern in the Ukrainian Government that we are losing sight of the war on Ukraine. It is not getting the same attention and focus within the House. What has happened to the children in Ukraine is abominable. It is very hard to comprehend how human beings can essentially deport 20,000 children having taken them from their homes, their localities, their villages. It is reprehensible. We announced that we would join the German-led Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery. We commit to integrating a gender perspective into our funding and resources, and support gender equality, and women's protection, participation and empowerment as primary priority objectives. We are doing that all over the world. It is a distinguishing feature of Irish diplomacy now. We are providing development support and aid and a human rights approach, such as through the Women, Peace and Security initiative. We will continue that in all conflict situations.

Deputy Howlin raised an important issue on Moldova. We do not widely discuss here the degree to which Russia is now engaged in hybrid attacks in many of Russia's neighbouring EU states. Some of this takes the form of arson, such as hiring local criminals to create a mini explosion in a shopping centre. Some of it can be attacks on utilities. Some of it can be the fomenting of anti-government protests. There is quite an active agenda there. Moldova, in particular, is probably at the frontier of that kind of activity in terms of elections and so on. The Government of Moldova and its people are under considerable pressure in that regard.