Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 October 2011
42 Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the percentage of overall aid that goes to water sanitation and hygiene; his plans to increase funding for this sector which provides safe drinking water, proper sanitation, hygiene promotion and so on in Third World countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28141/11]
View answerApproximately 2.5 billion people, roughly one-third of global population, lack safe sanitation facilities and 885 million people lack access to improved sources of drinking water. While progress has been made, only twenty six out of fifty four African countries are on track to meet Millennium Development Goal 7 "to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to basic drinking water and sanitation".
The 2006 White Paper commits Ireland to "support activities across the programme to increase access to water and sanitation”. Ireland, through the Government’s Overseas Development Programme, Irish Aid, works with central and local Government in its priority Programme Countries, with civil society groups and with multilateral organisations to make progress on the achievement of MDG-7.
Ireland recognises that sustained and equitable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is not only a life saving intervention in humanitarian responses, but is also critical to address the complex and multi-dimensional nature of poverty and vulnerability, especially relating to child mortality, food security and gender equality.
In its policy dialogues with partners, Ireland continues to focus on increasing access to safe drinking water through various channels; national development plans, advocacy and governance reforms, humanitarian and recovery programme and climate change adaptation. Ireland also recognises the existence of human rights obligations relating to access to safe drinking water and sanitation and has supported initiatives at the UN Human Rights Council, including the Resolution on human rights and access to safe drinking water and sanitation, adopted at the 15th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva in September 2010 and co-sponsored by Ireland.
In 2010, Ireland allocated over €7 million to support water, sanitation and hygiene programmes. Additionally Ireland supports UN Agencies such as UNICEF which works across ninety countries to improve water supplies and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, and to promote safe hygiene practices.
