Significant progress has been made in recent years to improve the international response to major disasters. Under the leadership of the UN, clear systems have been put in place to ensure the most effective, efficient and rapid delivery of aid possible. Ireland has been playing our part in ensuring that these reforms are implemented, so that responses are timely and effective and meet the most critical needs.
Two months after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, an international donor conference was held in New York, at which US $4.5 billion in assistance was pledged by the international community over two years. The UN had appealed for $1.5 billion. UN figures show that $3.52 billion in aid was actually disbursed. By the end of 2012, Ireland’s pledge of €13 million had been honoured and exceeded, with support totalling almost €14 million.
There was no official pledging conference in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan which struck the Philippines in November 2013. As of 15 January 2015, according to the UN, more than US$840 million has been contributed by the international community in response to UN appeals. Ireland was one of the first countries to respond and our contribution to date stands at over €7.1 million.
In order to assist in making donor pledges more credible and achievable, the OECD has published a ‘Recommendation on Good Pledging Practice’. This set of principles on pledging practice is designed to serve as a benchmark to help OECD Member States frame future aid pledges. Ireland strongly supports this important initiative.
