asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will support efforts being made to get agreement between all member countries of the United Nations described as being developed to allocate one per cent of gross national product in order to establish an international fund to aid underdeveloped countries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Aid to Underdeveloped Countries.
7.
I am not aware of any formal proposal for adoption by the United Nations to establish within the organisation a new international aid fund for developing countries to which the developed countries would each contribute one per cent of gross national product.
The Deputy may have in mind Resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1960, 1961 and 1965 and a Recommendation adopted by the First UN Conference on Trade and Development in 1964. The 1960 and 1961 Resolutions expressed the hope that the annual flow of capital and technical assistance to the developing countries should be increased substantially so as to reach approximately one per cent of the combined national incomes of the economically advanced countries. The UNCTAD Recommendation, which the 1965 UN Resolution endorsed, recommended inter alia that each economically advanced country should endeavour to supply financial resources to the developing countries of a minimum net amount approaching as nearly as possible to one per cent of its national income. This Recommendation acknowledged the special position of certain countries which are net importers of capital.
Ireland voted for these Resolutions and the Recommendation, having regard to the Government's awareness of the need for a major increase in the flow of aid to developing countries to help rectify the growing disparity between living standards and economic growth in these countries and the developed countries. As I indicated in reply to a question by the Deputy on 16th February last, the Government recognise our obligation to assist the developing countries in line with our growing economic capacity to do so. This principle will continue to inform our efforts in the field of development aid.