Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 October 2004
254 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to increase Ireland’s contributions to UN funds to protect environmental habitats and rare species such as the tiger, panda, great ape and rainforest programmes. [23932/04]
View answerMy Department contributes on an annual basis to the United Nations environment fund, or UNEP, and in 2004 contributed the sum of €317,000. That figure is above the indicative scale of contributions requested by UNEP. The fund is administered by UNEP, whose priorities include environmental monitoring, assessment, information and research, including early warning of environmental threats, co-ordination of environmental conventions and development of environment policy instruments.
My Department also contributes to the global environment facility. The facility provides funding to developing countries for projects and activities that aim to protect the global environment, including biological diversity. Responsibility for implementing GEF activities is a matter for the United Nations Development Programme, or UNDP, the United Nations Environment Programme, or UNEP, and the World Bank. Ireland contributed €1,408,000 in 2004 to the facility in accordance with an agreed programme.
Furthermore, my Department has a consultative role regarding the Department of Foreign Affairs' Ireland Aid multilateral environmental trust fund for Africa. The priority areas for the trust fund, implemented by UNEP, include protection of freshwater resources, access to environmental information for decision-making, protection of coastal and marine environment and conservation of biological diversity.
