Irish Aid Rapid Response Corps opens to new applicants

Minister Cannon calls for candidates to join the Rapid Response Corps

Irish Aid seeks new recruits for the Rapid Response Corps to deploy in support of UN agencies’ humanitarian crisis response

Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Ciarán Cannon, T.D., today launched a new drive to recruit volunteers to the Irish Aid-managed Rapid Response Corps.

The Rapid Response Corps is a roster of skilled humanitarian experts who deploy at short notice to work around the world in support of the relief efforts of UN humanitarian agencies. Irish rapid responders provide support in a number of areas, including humanitarian coordination and protection, information management, cash transfers, engineering, water and sanitation, and logistics. Rapid Response Corps members are required to have both professional qualifications and experience, and to have worked overseas in humanitarian and/or development settings.

Since the Rapid Response Corps was launched in 2007, there have been more than 350 deployments of the Corps to humanitarian emergencies in more than 50 countries.

Minister Cannon said: “In 2017, expert Irish responders provided more than 4,000 days of critical support to our UN partners’ humanitarian responses in 14 crises, working in some of the most challenging places on earth to provide nutrition, water and sanitation.  We need more rapid responders this year, with a wide range of skills, and I would encourage those interested to apply to join the Rapid Response Corps."

Information about the recruitment process, together with the full list of skills profiles being recruited, and examples of the job profiles members are deployed to available on the Irish Aid website: www.irishaid.ie/get-involved/rapid-response-corps/

The closing date for applications is 16 May, 2018.

ENDS

Press Office

26 April 2018

Notes to the editor

• Irish Aid is the Government’s overseas assistance programme. It is managed by the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. For further information see www.irishaid.ie. The Rapid Response Strategy, published in 2015, sets out how the Department operates the Rapid Response Initiative, the partners we work with and how we implement it.
• The Rapid Response Corps is a standby roster of highly skilled and experienced professionals available to deploy at short notice to humanitarian emergencies anywhere in the world.  When deployed, roster members fill specific skills gaps identified by four Irish Aid standby partner organisations: the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the World Food Programme (WFP); the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). To date, Irish Aid has deployed more than 350 rapid responders to more than 50 countries since 2007. In 2017 alone, Irish Aid experts provided more than 4,000 days of critical support to our UN partner’s humanitarian responses in 14 crises including in the Horn of Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Bangladesh.
• Information about the recruitment process, together with the full list of skills profiles being recruited, and examples of the job profiles members are deployed to available on the Irish Aid website: www.irishaid.ie/get-involved/rapid-response-corps/ 
• The closing date for applications is 16 May, 2018.