There has been no reduction in the overall aid budget. In fact the total aid budget for 2002 is at an unprecedented level representing 0.41% of gross national income, GNI, showing an increase of €100 million over 2001. One of the realities of developing countries is that weak governance goes hand in hand with poverty. The goals of the Ireland Aid programme in these countries include the strengthening of systems of governance, the eradication of corruption, the encouragement of respect for rights and the building of accountable public services. Problems of weak governance and corruption must be tackled squarely as development challenges in their own right.
The recent Ireland Aid review emphasised the centrality of the promotion of good governance by recommending that this be treated as a crosscutting issue for the programme. In other words, every proposal for assistance must be evaluated not only in terms of its stated aim but also in the context of the degree to which it promotes good governance. The review also stressed the importance of oversight and accountability. Our programmes in the six priority countries – Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia – and in South Africa are subject to annual external audit by reputable firms of accountants. The aid interventions, the programmes and projects which form part of the overall programme in each of these countries are themselves audited. In addition, the internal audit unit of Ireland Aid carries out a series of internal audit examinations of elements of the programme and of the systems for its protection.