Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 November 2004
149 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which he can give an assurance that overseas development aid is directed to those for whom it was intended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30691/04]
View answerTo ensure that overseas development aid is directed to those for whom it is intended, it is important that there is a clear policy framework with a well articulated strategy for aid delivery and robust systems of oversight and accountability.
As the Deputy will be aware, the central objectives of the Irish programme of development co-operation continue to be the reduction of poverty and the promotion of sustainable development. Through the bilateral development programme and through our interaction with multilateral institutions and our engagement with non-governmental organisations, we seek to address the basic human needs of some of the poorest people in the world by improving their access to food, water, health services and education.
The main geographical focus of the bilateral programme is sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest region in the world. Development Co-operation Ireland provides long-term development assistance to seven programme countries as well as South Africa. In line with other donors, we operate in partnership with the Governments of these countries supporting the national poverty reduction strategies.
An agreed strategy also directs our engagement with the United Nations agencies and their work is increasingly focused on the millennium development goals which are directly related to poverty reduction. Our relationship with the larger Irish non-governmental organisations is underpinned by a multi-annual commitment and we support them in their work of addressing the needs of the poor. Our relationship with the United Nations agencies and with the non-governmental organisations is also key to the delivery of humanitarian assistance to some of the most vulnerable communities in the world.
Robust systems for oversight and accountability are extremely important especially when working in such a difficult environment. This is provided through a rigorous system of monitoring, audit and evaluation. Monitoring takes place at all levels in the programme. All accounts are subjected to external audit in addition to a well-developed process of internal audit. A series of key evaluations are conducted annually and these examine the relevance and effectiveness of the interventions and identify lessons to improve the programmes. We also work with our partners to strengthen their own audit and evaluation processes.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has an independent audit committee — all members are external to the Department — and this plays an important role in overseeing the audit, evaluation and risk management processes in the Department and in making recommendations to strengthen and improve these processes where necessary.
