Ciaran Lynch
Question:87 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the situation as it pertains in Kenya. [10276/08]
Other Questions.
Foreign Conflicts.
Charlie O'Connor
Question:277 Deputy Charlie O’Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is maintaining contact with the serious situation in Kenya; if his attention has been drawn to the worldwide concern on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10543/08]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 277 together.
I warmly welcome the conclusion of a peace deal between the Kenyan Government and Opposition on 28 February 2008, following over a month of mediation talks led by the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. This is an important and potentially historic agreement which I hope will bring to an end the ethnic conflict and strife which Kenya experienced in the two months following its disputed presidential elections. The peace deal has been welcomed on all sides, including by UN Secretary General Ban and the Slovenian Presidency on behalf of the EU.
Under the deal, a coalition government is to be established and a new post of prime minister created, to which Mr. Raila Odinga, the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement, is most likely to be appointed. The Kenyan Parliament has begun considering legislation to give effect to the necessary constitutional changes.
I want to commend both President Kibaki and Mr. Odinga for their willingness to compromise and agree to a coalition government which can govern in the interests of all Kenyans. Particular tribute also needs to be paid to the Panel of Eminent African Personalities led by Kofi Annan whose commitment to achieving a political resolution of the current crisis has been exemplary. In response to a request from the UN, Ireland was pleased to be able to provide €100,000 in financial support to bolster the talks.
The full implementation of all aspects of this deal will now be critical to addressing the more long-term problems which contributed to the recent crisis. While the immediate issue of power-sharing may have been resolved, issues such as constitutional and electoral reform and greater progress in tackling corruption remain to be decisively addressed within the framework of ongoing political discussions between the government and opposition, which will now continue with the mediation of a Panel of African Experts.
Since the post-election violence, which resulted in an estimated 1,500 deaths and upwards of 600,000 people being displaced, the humanitarian situation in Kenya has improved, with some of those displaced beginning to return to their homes. Ireland is a significant humanitarian donor to Kenya, and has committed a total of over €25 million to Kenya since 2006. None of this aid is channelled through the Kenyan Government. This Irish Aid funding includes just over €7 million in humanitarian relief for Kenya in response to emergency appeals, and over €18 million for Irish, international and local NGOs, as well as missionaries, working in Kenya. Nationally, and through the EU, we will continue to do all we can to assist Kenya in its recovery efforts.
I will try to represent the Acting Chairman's views in Question No. 277 as well.
Thank you.
I join with the Minister in welcoming the agreement which, hopefully, will put an end to the killing. In regard to the Minister's extended reply, in a country that reports 6% growth and at the same time leaves 60% of the population on less than $2 per day, is there not something wrong with the development model? In regard to the post agreement arrangements, if 500 young men all from areas such as Kibera and Mathare slums, have been killed by the police extrajudicially, what does the Union favour by way of addressing the issue of reviewing these cases? Is it in a position to state that the independent human rights chairman's position has been restored? Have the European Union and the donor countries involved in development considered specific measures in regard to the 300,000 displaced persons? There is an argument about the number of displaced persons and I accept one cannot be accurate about the number.
Putting it bluntly, the agreement is welcome but it is an agreement between the outgoing president and very rich elite within Kenya that leaves the majority of the population in the direst poverty and some of the poorest people with no justice or redress for extrajudicial killing in the slums.
On the issue of the displaced people, the international community is keeping a close eye from the point of view of humanitarian relief. That is one of the major concerns. The fact is that large numbers are going home. In regard to dealing with some of the atrocities that took place, part of the agreement includes the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission and also a commission of inquiry into the outcome of the elections. There is no doubt that the Deputy's point in regard to the underlying injustices in a country such as Kenya, which is significantly well-developed in certain areas, was one of the reasons this uprising took everyone by surprise in that it seemed to be a relatively stable society, an area where thousands of people from the west went on their holidays. The international community, working with the AU in particular, would have the greatest influence with the new Kenyan Government to try to redress some of the issues. The Deputy's point about the gross inequalities in a country such as Kenya could apply to virtually every other country in Africa. Despite the substantial international financial assistance through overseas development aid, much of that is delivery of emergency aid in regard to HIV, food security and the issues flowing from the effects of climate change. Much of the concentration, particularly with the Irish Aid programme, has been to try to build the capacity of governments to enable the delivery aspects of their own wealth. I saw this in Timor-Leste, which I visited recently, where money was not an issue in that it had significant money from oil reserves but it did not have the capability to deliver.
The Minister anticipated the question I was about to ask, which is on climate change and its effect on the political situation in Kenya. The Acting Chairman and I attended a meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy Micheál Kitt, on Wednesday, on the issue and how it impacted on the political situation in Kenya. None of us in this Chamber has ever felt the consequences of climate change on our lives whereas in areas such as Kenya it is felt in a very profound way and yet carbon emissions are created mostly in the northern hemisphere. I know Irish Aid is fully conscious of the impact of climate change on the political situation in places such as Kenya but how is it incorporated into the policies of Irish Aid and the Department of Foreign Affairs?
May I ask a related question?
Yes.
A specific request has been made for the replacement of animals in the herding communities that have been most affected by climate change. When the Minister replies to Deputy Andrews perhaps he will reply to my question.
On the issue of climate change, I had a very good discussion recently with a leading expert in foreign policy from the UK who specialises on the effect of climate change on the developing world. At the European Council meeting this week, Javier Solana will table a fairly major document, if my memory serves me correctly, entitled Climate Change and International Security. It deals with how the effect of climate change is impacting on the whole issue of security, migration and tribes moving from one location to another. It is having an even greater impact than was originally thought. The Americans have done much research in this respect already. Part of the remit of Irish Aid, which we purposely included in the White Paper, which was the review of Irish Aid, was to look at how Irish Aid could, as well as the historic three main issues, assist in countries in the development of their health system, their education system and their capacity to govern and have a proper organised democratic state. I have asked — the Minister of State, Deputy Micheál Kitt, is insistent — that the whole effect of climate change and how we can assist countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa to deal with climate change and what new technologies could be put in place be reviewed. This was prompted by a conversation I had a couple of years ago with former president Clinton who, in the context of the very significant link he has with the Clinton Foundation and Irish Aid, suggested that one of the key priorities of our aid programme should be about how to deal with climate change in the context of how to use new technologies from renewable energy and to assist in these developing countries.
Will the Minister agree that the election was merely the spark for underlying unrest in Kenya, brought out by the disproportionate share of land that the Kikuyu tribe owns in the country? This is an underlying issue that will create difficulties later. While we have peace and agreement at present, the difficulty will always exist. How many Irish people are living in Kenya? I know we have many religious people there. Do we use them as a source of information on conditions in the country?
Listening to the Minister referring to climate change affecting Kenya and Kenyan people, does he agree the situation there was brought about not by climate change but by corruption and vote rigging? That is the cause of unrest in Kenya. We must be wary that overseas aid does not fall into the hands of corrupt factions, which would mean that it does not get to the needy people for whom it is intended.
The recent uprising was caused by long-standing issues, particularly land distribution and old scores. Kenya is a large, diverse country with 35 million people and 45 ethnic groups. Difficult ethnic issues exist and it has been reasonably well governed in recent years. Unfortunately, its difficulties came to a head because of the suspicion about the election. This is one of the priorities of the peace agreement, which has received widespread public support in Kenya.
I am not aware of the number of Irish citizens in Kenya but there is no doubt that during recent events the ability of the Department to access information about individuals in trouble was greatly assisted by the substantial number of missionaries and Irish religious people resident in Kenya.
Overseas Development Aid.
Deirdre Clune
Question:88 Deputy Deirdre Clune asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the proportion of overseas aid paid to each of the top 12 recipient countries that was channelled through Irish non-governmental organisations in 2007; the proportion of planned aid expenditure in each of the years 2008 to 2012 that will be channelled through Irish NGOs in each of those countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10351/08]
Tom Hayes
Question:91 Deputy Tom Hayes asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the proportion of overseas aid paid to each of the top 12 recipient countries that was channelled through the Government of each of those countries in 2007; the proportion of planned overseas aid expenditure in each of the years 2008 to 2012 that will be channelled through each of those Governments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10350/08]
Deirdre Clune
Question:102 Deputy Deirdre Clune asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the proportion of overseas aid paid to each of the top 12 recipient countries that was channelled through non-Irish non-governmental organisations in 2007; the proportion of planned aid expenditure in those countries in each of the years 2008 to 2012 that will be channelled through non-Irish NGOs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10352/08]
John Deasy
Question:113 Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of Government overseas aid spent in each of the top 12 recipient countries in 2007; the amount of such aid that is planned to be spent in each of these countries in each of the years 2008 to 2012; his plans to change the regional focus of overseas aid in the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10354/08]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 88, 91, 102 and 113 together.
In 2008 Ireland's spending on overseas development aid will reach €914 million. This level of expenditure, the highest in the history of the programme, represents 0.54 % of GNP. It will ensure that Ireland remains one of the most generous donors in the world on a per capita basis. We are well on track to meeting the UN target of spending 0.7% on overseas development aid by 2012, three years ahead of the EU commitment.
Most of this funding — €814 million — comes under Vote 29, international co-operation, which is managed by my Department. A further estimated €100 million will be spent by other Departments and through Ireland's allocation to the EU development co-operation budget.
The latest year for which we have detailed expenditure on an individual country level is 2006. The final figures for expenditure in 2007 are awaiting returns from our partner organisations. They will be published in our 2007 annual report.
The 12 countries which received the largest volumes of overseas development aid in 2006 were as follows: Uganda, €44.8 million; Mozambique, €41.8 million; Ethiopia, €39.4 million; Tanzania, €30.5 million; Zambia, €24.2 million; Sudan, €15 million; South Africa, €14.7 million; Kenya, €11.8 million; Lesotho, €10.8 million; Democratic Republic of Congo, €9.9 million; Sierra Leone, €8.8 million; and Zimbabwe, €8.3 million.
The funding administered by Irish Aid is delivered through a wide range of partners including governments, non-governmental organisations, missionaries, UN funds and programmes, international organisations and humanitarian agencies. Funding is delivered via local, regional and national government systems aimed at, inter alia, building health, education and local government systems. Irish Aid uses a number of modalities and funding mechanisms to manage overseas development aid ranging from sector wide supports, mainly in health and education, to projects and, in some countries, to general budget support.
Overall, €260 million was provided to the above 12 countries in 2006. A summarised breakdown of this would show some €81 million being channelled through NGOs and approximately €118 million through partner country government systems and structures. The remainder was either implemented directly by Irish Aid, or delivered through multilateral organisations.
As regards NGOs, a significant proportion of Irish Aid funding is delivered through our multi-annual partnership scheme, MAPS, with the main Irish NGOs. In 2007, almost €63 million was provided to five Irish NGOs under MAPS, and we plan to increase this to €70 million for 2008. Irish Aid has also consistently supported the work of Irish missionaries. Some €16 million was provided to the Irish Missionary Resource Service in 2007 which will increase to €20 million this year.
As far as future spending is concerned, the overseas development aid allocation will be decided through the Estimates process. Figures for expenditure on overseas development aid in the period 2009-12 cannot be stated at this point as they are linked to estimated GNP growth at the time of the Estimates process. However, I can assure Deputies that the Government is committed to meeting the target of 0.7% of GNP by 2012 in a planned and phased manner and that Ireland's overseas development aid allocation will grow strongly year on year as we move towards that target.
I refer to aid going to countries. The Minister of State grouped four countries together. Two or three weeks ago, the Minister of State suspended any increase in aid to Mozambique. Why was that done?
What oversight exists at senior Government level? How often does the Minister of State meet the heads of NGOs, organisations such as Trócaire, GOAL and Concern? The Minister of State referred to some countries receiving more than €40 million. How often does he visit the senior officials and officials like himself in these countries? What kind of interaction does he have with the heads of NGOs and Heads of Government, considering the budget of €1 billion?
On the question of suspending funding to Mozambique——
The increase in spending.
The Deputy asked about Mozambique. There was an issue in Mozambique about Finland postponing part of the budget, some €2 million. The Irish Government has made no decision on that and awaits our investigations on it.
There is a positive side to the situation in Tanzania. Following a banking scandal the president sacked the Government and other staff. In a separate case, two Ministers were forced to resign on an issue of corruption. There are good news stories emerging.
I meet frequently with representatives of the five major NGOs, Trócaire, Concern, GOAL, Christian Aid and Self Help. I discuss funding because it is quite substantial, particularly to the five I mentioned. The figure for the NGO sector in 2006 was €169 million.
The Deputy's final question concerned where I travelled. I was in Mozambique last September and accompanied the Taoiseach to South Africa and Tanzania in January. We discussed issues of governance and independent media, which is much developed in Tanzania. We also saw the good projects in schools, hospitals, clinics and community centres with which Irish Aid is involved. We saw the provision of water supplies, such as wells and milling projects, that are so important to the lives of ordinary people.
Firing a few Cabinet Ministers in Tanzania may be viewed as positive in some quarters but to this side of the House it demonstrates a legitimate concern about Irish aid in programme countries. We are proposing to give €70 million in 2008 to Tanzania, which has had a difficulty with its Cabinet, and Zambia, where former president Chiluba is under investigation. Does the Minister of State have concerns that all the aid will not get there? Has the time come to have an open mind about the direct aid model, whereby we give money to a project and appoint an Irish project manager who will employ local people? Have we examined this rather than giving it to countries or has it been written out of the script? We have no direct evidence that Irish aid money is going astray but we must follow up on this over the next period of time. We are concerned that the sum of almost €1 billion this and next year might not get to where it should go.
Obviously, we do not fund governments for their own sake. Rather, we are funding projects, particularly in the health, education and water sanitation areas. Missionaries have been present and doing good work for years as the first NGOs on the ground. I keep in constant touch with them and welcome that we are increasing funding to €20 million this year. I should mention the hard-working ambassadors who have some minimal funding to help the projects directly.
We hope the foreign affairs committee, perhaps in light of the letter from the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, will have oversight in respect of these issues. Previously, I chaired the sub-committee. It and the full committee will examine these issues. I know of Deputy Timmins's great interest in this area and we are aware of the matter in respect of which he has spoken, namely, the ongoing funding, which is increasing and will lead us to the 0.7% GNP target by 2012.
Malawi is the country in which we opened our most recent embassy under the Irish Aid project and to which we contribute a considerable amount of overseas development aid. In 2006, the Malawian president named a road after Robert Mugabe. My question is on the ethical framework of future Irish Aid spending. While its being untied aid is of great credit to us, should we put pressure on countries? For example, Malawi is a member of the Southern African Development Community, which we are trusting to monitor the election in Zimbabwe. My concern is whether the countries are sympathetic to Zimbabwe and whether there is a regional solution to such situations. The Zimbabwe situation is getting worse by the day. The whole of the European Union has entrusted itself to the SADC's hands. The example of Malawi proves there is a lack of impartiality under the headings in question. Will the Minister of State outline the issues he raised at the General Affairs and External Relations Council and any general Irish contribution made at the ministerial meeting yesterday?
The Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, raised the issues at the GAERC and exerted the necessary pressure. At my meeting, I dealt with economic partnership agreements, which arose at the European affairs committee. When I accompanied the Taoiseach to South Africa and Tanzania in January, we raised this issue with the President of South Africa.
This concludes questions to——
No, we have another few minutes.
I am told——
Three minutes.
Go on.
The Chair is advised that two minutes remain. Does Deputy Higgins want to continue?
Yes, I would be delighted to hear the Minister respond.
Does this mean we can all contribute?
It is just as well I had not run out the door.
Overseas Missions.
Joan Burton
Question:89 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the present position in Chad; the contact which has been had with Irish soldiers serving in the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10291/08]
The situation in Chad remains complex, fluid and fragile. A rebel attack on N'Djamena in early February led to at least 160 deaths and thousands of people being displaced before it was repulsed by Government forces. The main group of rebels is now located near the Sudanese border. According to some reports, a new rebel offensive remains a possibility. The UN Security Council has urged an end to violence and recalled its commitment to the sovereignty and political independence of Chad. Approximately half of the 30,000 Chadians who fled to Cameroon during the fighting in N'Djamena are believed to have returned.
The increase in the EU's political leverage in Chad as a result of the EUFOR mission's presence should be used to support political reform and democratisation. While the state of emergency, which includes curfews and restrictions on movement and the media, imposed by President Deby on 15 February may be necessary as a temporary measure from a security perspective, the EU wishes to see it enforced with moderation and lifted as soon as feasible. The EU will continue to impress on the Chadian authorities the importance of continuing the process of dialogue with the peaceful opposition that began in August 2007.
The difficult relationship between Sudan and Chad, which has grown steadily worse in the past few months, is a matter of ongoing concern. The EU has urged both parties to refrain from violent acts and from supporting each others' rebel groups.
Deployment of EUFOR TCHAD-RCA, which was delayed due to rebel activity, commenced on 12 February. Some 700 troops from a number of member states are now in situ. The operation commander expects that the force will have initial operating capability later this month. Full operational capability is anticipated by May or June before the start of the rainy season. At that stage, the Irish contribution will be approximately 400 personnel. Currently, 56 Irish personnel are deployed in theatre.
The Defence Forces are in daily contact with Irish troops serving in Chad through the operations centre in Defence Forces HQ Dublin and through the personnel serving with Lieutenant General Nash in Paris. He is confident of the force's ability to maintain its own safety in the face of any threat. The Government remains strongly committed to the humanitarian objectives of EUFOR TCHAD-RCA.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.