The achievement of universal access to reproductive health is one of the objectives of the Programme of Action agreed at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994. In 2000, world leaders adopted the Millennium Development Goals, which include the commitment to reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters and achieving universal access to reproductive health, by 2015. The Government is committed to action in support of this objective, which is of vital importance for the welfare of women and children and for the fight against HIV and AIDS.
The Government is working in close cooperation with several partner agencies in the UN system to address maternal health issues in developing countries. There is a clear link between slow progress on the achievement of universal access to reproductive health and low levels of empowerment of women in developing countries. The range of issues involved form the core mandate of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with which the Government's aid programme, Irish Aid, has a close working relationship.
In recognition of its important mandate, the Government has contributed significant levels of funding to the UNFPA in recent years. In total, over the four years 2005 — 2009, the Government provided a €23.5 million in support of the UNFPA. This included contributions to the Reproductive Health Commodity Security Trust Fund of €500,000 in 2006, €1 million in 2007 and €1 million in 2008. In 2009, funding of €3 million was provided to the UNFPA, but no additional contribution was made to the Trust Fund. I expect that funding allocations for contributions to UN Agencies in 2010 will be finalised shortly.